Black Blood Brothers: Mimiko's Vacation
by Marie Thompson
Summary: It's been a couple months since the Zealous Thunder God attacked the Special Zone and Mimiko's in need of a serious vacation. Here follows the events of her vacation with the Mochizuki brothers.  Sequel to Shadows From The Past.
1. Chapter 1: The Arrival

It's been a couple months since the Zealous Thunder God attacked the Special Zone and Mimiko's in need of a vacation. Here follows the events of her vacation with the Mochizuki brothers.

**Chapter One: The Arrival**

Mimiko Katsuragi stretched, her arms reaching towards the sky, both whole and strong again, mostly. Her right arm was still a little shaky after having been in a cast for weeks on end, but only when she tried to lift anything weight more than ten pounds. And her right leg was also a little unsteady, but she felt more like herself than she had in quite some time. The bruises and scrapes from her encounter with the vampire, Kanaye Raidon, were all healed and only the memories really remained.

"I can't believe we're really here," she practically squealed as she looked out the door of the small airplane. After having switched from a transatlantic flight in California to a smaller plane, it was good to be on land, even though the last leg of their journey wasn't anywhere near as long as the flight over the ocean had been. She'd secretly hoped for some fun, but all of her companions had behaved themselves fairly well, all things considered.

Behind her, Jiro Mochizuki sighed inwardly, but he couldn't help smiling at her enthusiasm. She certainly deserved the vacation the Order Coffin Company was finally giving her. Not only had she recently gone up again the Zealous Thunder God, but survived a battle between humanity and the infamous Kowloon Children. She needed this and he was going to do everything he could to make it enjoyable for her. Being able to doze on the plane had helped.

"Awesome!" Kotaro Mochizuki poked his head out from behind Jiro's long, red coat. The sky shown in brilliant reds and oranges. He had to shade his eyes from the glare, not noticing his brother trying to step back under the protective shading of the airplane's cabin despite his pushing through the narrow door.

Ahead of them lay a field of tarmac where several smaller aircraft were parked. Behind them sat a small airport terminal. At least it was smaller than the others they'd gone through. Scrub brush could be seen at the airport's far edges. Beyond that was a mass of reddish orange rock and dirt for as far as the eye could see, until it met the sky.

Jiro adjusted his goggles, wishing he had his umbrella, even though the sun was now setting. He absently felt for his long, silver katana that had been left behind in Rinsuke Akai's keeping. "Uh, Mimiko," his tone made the compromiser turn around, "where exactly are we?"

Mimiko smiled widely, and winked. "It's a secret, Jiro," she teased. "But we're definitely not in Japan anymore." The Black Blood's expression only made her smile more. "And I really do hope you packed some swimming trunks or we might have to go shopping for some."

He schooled his expression. "Mimiko, water and I don't exactly get along," he reminded her gently, just in case she'd forgotten, not likely but possible considering all she'd been through. He put one hand up to his hat, pulling the brim lower over his face as a ray of sunshine filtered through the clouds above them.

She gave him a truly mischievous grin. "Oh, I know that," she replied. "But who said I was going to make you go swimming?" She turned back towards the tarmac and walked down the steep stairs to the ground, holding onto the railing for support. Kotaro was quick on her heels, gawking at the strange landscape around him.

Jiro didn't immediately follow, more from surprise than anything else. He wondered just what the brunette had in mind that would require a bathing suit. Well, he had two choices, he decided. He could either go along with her whims or absolutely refuse. He had a feeling he'd probably give in, so long as it wasn't anything too outrageous. He decided he'd just have to wait and see what she had in mind as he followed her down to the tarmac.

Mimiko reached the end of the stairway, stumbling slightly as she took the last step down. It was lightly longer than the previous, but she corrected herself as Kotaro zoomed around her to look around the area.

Jiro watched her, instinctively moving to help but stopped when he saw she was all right. Even though she was back up and about, he figured he'd still need to keep an eye on her and keep her from overdoing things, which she had a tendency to do. "So, Mimiko," he commented, "didn't you say there would be someone here to meet us?" He looked around but couldn't see anyone else but the crew unloading their luggage, not that they had a lot to worry about.

The compromiser turned to stand with her hands on her hips in her classic "down to business" pose. It didn't look quite as imposing as it might if she were wearing her Company uniform, but it was cute as she stood in a pair of jeans and a cotton shirt. "They were supposed to be here by now," she said as she glanced behind her. "Maybe they're running a little behind schedule. We won't know until we get inside the terminal."

She shrugged and headed towards the building. "Come on Jiro," she called behind her. "It's more comfortable inside than out here!" And with her usual energy, she marched through the doors and into the building, the Mochizuki brothers following behind her.

It was nicer inside though, even though the building only housed one main area that served for both passengers arriving and leaving, aside from a secured area for those boarding their respective flights. Between the two sections ran a long desk where luggage was checked in, tickets purchased, and other flight arrangements were made.

Mimiko moved over towards a section just left of the doors they'd entered to stand near where a slide opened from the outside. Luggage was being pushed over the edge to land in a small section below where it could be claimed by its owners. Several other passengers were already there, picking out their bags.

Kotaro edged through the small press of people to stand at the edge of the landing zone, his eyes wide open for their bags. "Hey brother," he called excitedly. "I think that one's ours!" He reached for a rather worn looking bag of a decidedly older style, struggling a bit to pull it over the metal lip that kept the luggage from spilling to the ground. With a bit more effort, and a lot of grunting, he managed to get it free, falling on his hind end with the bag on top. "Whoa!"

Jiro face palmed, shaking his head. "Oh brother," he said under his breath. There were too many people crowding around to safely move in, not that Kotaro needed rescuing.

Mimiko laughed. "It's usually best to just wait until there's less people around," she advised the young Black Blood. "That way you don't have to worry about other people getting in the way."

After a few more minutes, the crowd had decidedly dispersed around the luggage claim area and Mimiko smiled as if to say, "see, told you." Kotaro had found an out of the way corner to sit with his bag, a bit sulky because he'd been embarrassed. "Well, it looks like mine's the last one," she declared, eyeing the larger bag, sighing. A girl had to bring the essentials, after all.

She reached for the handle with both hands, bracing her feet against the side of the metal catcher and hauled. "This is a lot heavier than I remember it being," she commented as she strained. She let go with her right hand to shake it out.

Jiro stepped over. "Allow me," he said courteously and moved to take the case.

She moved to stop him. "It's fine, Jiro," she said stubbornly and grabbed on again, using her weight as ballast. The case came free from the lip and she stumbled backwards.

Jiro quickly moved to catch her from behind. He raised an eyebrow at her when she looked up. "You were saying?"

She brushed him off. "It would have been fine if it hadn't got caught," she defended, pulling the bag to an upright position so that she could use the wheels on the bottom.

"Hmmm," Jiro mused, smiling wryly. "Have your friends arrived yet?" He looked around the waiting room, not seeing anyone coming to greet them.

Mimiko brushed herself off, more from habit than because she needed to. "No, not yet," she replied as she looked towards the front of the building. "Maybe they got caught in traffic." She pulled the suitcase towards one of the rows of chairs and sat down with a sigh. "Ugh," she uttered, glad to be sitting again despite having done nothing but sit for hours on end.

Outside, the sky was growing even darker as the sun set behind the low hills to the west. Kotaro came and joined her on the seat, dragging his and Jiro's luggage behind him. The Silver Blade chose to stand and keep watch.

"Okay guys," Mimiko said, a bit tired but totally down to business. "Remember, we're all going to speak English while here. And most people don't know anything about Black Bloods so don't go telling just anyone about what you are. Most people believe vampires are extinct and we want to keep it that way."

Jiro tipped his hat down just a bit. "Does that include your friends?" Several people in the waiting area were staring in his direction, including employees. He hoped her friends would show up soon before someone thought he was something he was not.

She rolled her eyes. "I've already told them about you two so you don't have to pretend around them. It's everyone else I'm worried about. The culture outside of Japan is a whole lot different so we have to be careful about some things, though I'm told that most of them are rather… more open-minded or simply don't care. But we still don't need to be talking about the Special Zone or anything like that. If anyone asks, you're simply from Japan."

Jiro put out his hands, reassuringly touching her shoulder. "Yes, we know, Mimiko. We went over this before we left. Don't worry. Everything will be fine." He smiled to show he appreciated her efforts, but that they were unnecessary. "This is your vacation. You should try to relax a bit more."

She slumped in her seat. "I know, you're right," she admitted. "But I just can't help but think what might happen if things get out of hand."

Kotaro stared up at her with big eyes. "We won't let that happen, will we brother?"

Jiro smiled fondly at his little brother. "No, we won't." He let his gaze sweep the room for the hundredth time since they'd arrived. Maybe it was a bad habit to worry about potential risks now, but he'd known from experience that things could happen when someone wasn't watching, even if the employees seemed to now be pointedly ignoring him.

Someone pushed the door to the parking lot open and two girls entered, both in their early twenties with lighter hair. One was wearing glasses. They stopped just inside the now closed door and looked around, talking quietly to each other. The one wearing glasses, also the taller of the two, pointed towards the waiting area. The other looked where she was pointing, gave a slight squeal and was suddenly running towards the group from Japan.

"Mimiko! Mimiko!" The squealing girl was followed by her friend, who came more slowly behind.

Mimiko stood as she heard her name and was almost instantly enveloped in a bear hug by the shorter blonde, practically lifted of her feet in the process.

"I can't believe it's really you!" She let the compromiser go so that her taller friend could get in for a hug of her own. She spotted Kotaro sitting next to her Japanese friend and smiled, her eyes beaming. "You must be Kotaro. It's nice to meet you! I'm Lucienne!"

Kotaro smiled brilliantly, glancing briefly at his brother who seemed to be in shock. "Yeah, I'm Kotaro Mochizuki," he said in perfect English. After all, Jiro had made sure he understood the major languages. "And that's my brother over there." He pointed to the tall vampire who inclined his head in a slight bow.

Mimiko had recovered from the sudden glompage enough to turn to her two friends. "Lucienne, Karri, this is Jiro and Kotaro Mochizuki. Jiro, Kotaro, these are some of the friends we're staying with, Lucienne Lawrence and Karri Millbrook."

Jiro took off his hat to sweep a more formal bow. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," he said perfectly. It amused him how easily their group had switched over to English. Mimiko must have been practicing. He hadn't worried about himself or Kotaro, but then again, Mimiko was a compromiser so maybe it came with the territory.

Lucienne goggled at Jiro. "Gosh, Mimi, you didn't tell us he was so tall!"

Karri stood next to him to compare heights. He was a good couple inches taller than her. "Meh," she said good-naturedly, "I've seen taller." But she smiled so everyone knew she was joking.

"Well," Lucienne looked around, noting that the sun was definitely no longer in the sky, "shall we get going? I'm really sorry we were late. One thing turned into another and traffic can be a real pain sometimes. You know how it goes. And we had to make sure the guys didn't do anything stupid while we were gone. You know how guys are." She rolled her eyes.

Kotaro grabbed his bag. Jiro took Mimiko's before she could get to it. Even though she was mostly recovered from her ordeal over two months ago, he knew that she probably wasn't completely up to par. Her slight stumble while retrieving her bag, not to mention getting off the plane, had been proof enough for him.

Mimiko didn't protest, though she did glance wryly at him. "Tell me about it," she rolled her eyes to Lucienne's comment. "But there is something to be said about older men."

Kotaro's stomach suddenly growled and he cringed towards the floor, embarrassed. "Heheheh," he laughed hesitantly.

Karri blinked, quickly recovering from the unexpected noise. "Sounds like we need to get these guys home to some food," she commented, looking curiously at the younger Black Blood. "Good thing we asked Sarah to get started."

Lucienne led the way to her five-passenger car, a little white Honda Civic. "All aboard the Vampire Express!" she called out cheerily. "Destination, the Dorms!"

Mimiko looked around quickly, hoping no one had heard her friend's comment as she ushered Kotaro into the back seat before she slid in. Jiro got in on the other side, and Karri got in on the front passenger side, putting her seat belt on.

Mimiko looked at her friends a bit questioningly when they strapped themselves in, but followed their example, eyeing Jiro and Kotaro until they also got the hint. She hoped it didn't mean Lucienne was a bit of a crazy driver, not that she could really complain because her own driving wasn't always the sanest either.

"Do we have far to go," Jiro asked as the car started off. He watched out the front window as Lucienne maneuvered the vehicle down the parking lot.

Karri looked back, possibly trying to evaluate the vampire behind her. "Not really, she responded. "It's only a couple of miles and the traffic shouldn't be bad. It's the lights you have to worry about."

Jiro wasn't sure what to think of that comment so he wisely remained silent as the car turned around a sharp bend and started down a steep drive. The whole of the city spread out below them, lights twinkling in all colors, though none of the buildings seemed very tall, no more than ten stories at the most.

"This part's the fun part," Lucienne called back behind her as she focused on the road, making another narrow turn to head in the direction they'd just come from, still going down in switchback form. "If you just let the car coast, you get some serious momentum, kind of like being on a roller coaster. I'd love to go ice blocking down this road!"

Jiro glanced questioningly at Mimiko who shrugged. Kotaro was content to sit in the middle, dangling his legs as he enjoyed the ride. Soon they were on level ground again, speeding down the boulevard, past various businesses and houses. "I didn't expect that there would be so many single-family dwellings," he commented, noting that there didn't seem to be a lot of apartment buildings.

Karri glanced back at the Silver Blade. "Most of the apartments aren't on the main roads," she explained. "In fact, we sort of live in an apartment, even though they're called the dorms. They're like those luxury hotel suites with the kitchen, main room and bedrooms. But you'll see soon enough."

Lucienne drove down a few more streets, threading through what could be considered fairly light traffic. "Considering it's a Sunday night, we're pretty lucky there aren't too many people out. There's a lot of people who come through on their way back from Sin City over the weekend. It makes traffic more exciting, but with Spring Break going on, they probably decided to spend longer down there."

Jiro glanced at Mimiko, wondering if she understood half of what their driver had said. Mimiko shrugged. "And what, exactly, is Sin City?" Jiro wasn't sure if he wanted to know, even though curiosity had already opened his mouth.

Lucienne giggled. "I forgot! You're not from around these parts. Sin City is Las Vegas, Nevada. It's a couple hours drive south of us. A lot of people like to go down on the weekends to gamble at the casinos."

Jiro indicated his understanding with a nod. "So that's what Americans do in their spare time these days," he commented dryly.

Karri and Lucienne exchanged knowing looks. Karri laughed under her breath but didn't comment on his error. Before too long, they were pulling into the parking lot near one of the taller buildings, a five story complex on the college campus. "We're here," the taller girl announced as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

Mimiko was the first out of the car, staring up into the night sky. She noticed a few stars peaking out. "I didn't know you could see the stars here."

Kotaro was beside her in an instant, craning his neck to see the night sky. "Amazing!" He turned around on the spot, arms spread from his sides. "This is going to be so much fun!"

Jiro held his hat as he, too, glanced upwards. "Most intriguing," he commented, then looked around to see that Lucienne and Karri were both headed towards the building. "But perhaps star gazing can wait until after we've seen our accommodations," he reminded. "Our hosts seem to be leaving us behind."

Mimiko looked around with a start, then quickly went after the two American girls. Each one was carrying a piece of luggage. "Wait! Karri! I can get my own bag," she protested as the girl opened the door and pulled the suitcase in behind her. Jiro and Kotaro weren't too far behind.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

They followed the girls down the first hallway they came to, stopping at an elevator, which swished them up to the top floor and another hallway. Lucienne paused outside a door to take out her keys; fitting one into the simple lock, then opened the door. Both girls grinned as they stood back for their guests to enter the room.

Mimiko walked in first, quite surprised when she saw a small kitchen/dining area directly off the main room that was comfortably furnished with a low couch and chairs. It was decorated with various anime and movie posters all over the walls.

Lucienne came in behind Kotaro, leaving the Mochizuki's bag by the door. "Well, what do you think? Since there's only three living in this unit, you get a room to yourself just down that hallway," she pointed. "The guys will be putting up the vampires."

Mimiko whirled around at the word vampires but her friends were smiling, obviously teasing her. "So, they're not staying here," she asked, trying to recover herself.

"Nope," Karri replied. "The dorms have a rule that guys can't stay in the same apartment as girls so they get to be across the hall from us. The other guys are over there now, fixing dinner. I'm actually surprised you can't hear them from here. I wonder what they're doing. I'd probably better go check on them." She headed out the door without a backwards glance.

Jiro pursed his lips as he looked around the apartment. "Hmmm," he mused. "Most interesting accommodations. Are all of the apartments arranged in a similar manner," he inquired.

Lucienne nodded. "Yep, more or less. I mean, some of them are opposite of this one but it's all basically the same. Speaking of which, would you like a tour?" She jumped up to show them around, grabbing Mimiko's suitcase by the handle. "I'll show you Mimi's room first."

She headed towards a short hallway. "The room on the left's the bathroom. And just past that is Sarah's room, and this one on the right will be yours." She entered through the appropriate door to reveal a simple bed and dresser, with a small closet. She left the suitcase by the bed then headed back down the hallway to the main area.

"This room's Sarah's." She indicated a smaller room off the main living area. "And the room over here is mine and Karri's." She opened the other door to show a slightly larger room with two beds and dressers. The walls were decorated with more anime posters.

Kotaro ran into the room, staring at the walls. "Oh wow," he said as he looked at the various characters portrayed on the walls. "Do you know all these people?"

Lucienne laughed. "They're all from animes," she said. Kotaro gave him a blank look. "You know, Japanese cartoons?"

Kotaro's eyes lit up. "Oh! Those! I didn't know you had that over here!" He started examining the posters more closely. He pointed at one in particular. "Hey! I know this one!"

Mimiko smothered a laugh as she watched him check out the various images plastered all over the room. She was surprised, though, by how much her friends were into anime. She didn't generally have time to watch much herself. Her American friends were definitely more carefree, she decided.

"Hey, anyone home?"

Everyone turned towards the main room where the masculine voice had come from.

A dark haired young man stood in the open doorway of the apartment, a grin on his face as he leaned forward. "In case anyone is interested, dinner is now being served across the hall." His message delivered, he disappeared from view.

"Coming," Lucienne called after him as she ushered her guests back to the main area and towards the doorway. "It's best if we don't take a long time getting over there," she explained. "Some of those guys can be real pigs, if you know what I mean."

They crossed the hall and entered an apartment almost identical to the one they'd left, except the decor was decidedly different, and most definitely male in taste. Karri was there, along with one other girl and a handful of guys who were lounging around the small table, the various countertop space, and a coffee table in the middle of the main area.

"Hey everyone," Lucienne called out. "I've brought our special guests!" She quickly ran the round of introductions. "This is Sarah, Matt, Damian, Scott, and James." She pointed to each in turn.

James waved from his perch on the couch; his dark, curly hair set him apart from the others. Matt waved from behind the counter. He was the dark haired guy who had called them over. Scott gave a half nod of his blonde head, and Damian grinned from under his shock of ginger hair. "Yo!"

Mimiko smiled somewhat timidly, but everyone seemed friendly. Kotaro had no problem and went immediately to see what was going on in the kitchen where a most appetizing smell was coming from. Jiro leaned against one of the walls, arms folded, but he had a slight smile on his face.

"Don't be shy," Karri commented as she noticed Mimiko holding back. "Dinner's a free-for-all. Hope you don't mind we decided to go more traditional American on you with the menu. We've got hot dogs and chili with cheese, green salad, and jello for dessert. And if that's not enough, there's plenty of junk food to go around." She indicated the counter space near the stove. "Just help yourself to whatever. The guys usually eat the rest so there's not much leftover so you'd better hurry and get something."

James left his perch on the couch to dish up a plate for himself. The other guys were lining up as well. Kotaro grabbed a plate like they had and enthusiastically began heaping his plate.

Lucienne came over to drag Mimiko into line. She paused a moment to look at Jiro. "Hey, Mr. Mochizuki, you do eat real food, right? I mean, it's not just blood or anything, is it?"

Jiro was caught momentarily off-guard by her comment and his surprise registered on his face.

Mimiko smirked. "No, Jiro eats real food too. He's just a gentleman."

Lucienne gave Mimiko a sly look. "Is that so? Well, if he wants any food tonight, he'll have to drop that and grab something before everyone else finishes it off. Come on!" She grabbed Mimiko by the arm to direct her to the food. Jiro blinked a few times, but followed after them.

It didn't take long for everyone to get a plate and find a place to sit. Mimiko chose to sit near Jiro, who was trying to eat his chilidog with his gloves still on. "Um, Jiro, don't you think you should take the gloves off to eat that?" She gave him a funny look as he contemplated his food.

Across the room, Kotaro was enthusiastically eating his food, chili smeared across his face as he ate his third helping, much to the guys' amusement. "Wow kid," Damien commented, "you can really pack it in!"

Scott hooted. "Watch out, Damien. You just might have competition! Can't have that!" He laughed as his friend headed back for a fourth helping.

Sarah sat across from James, perhaps the quietest person in the bunch as she ate.  
>Mimiko pulled Karri aside as she passed. "Hey, Karri, what's up with Sarah," she asked. "She's a lot more quiet than anyone else."<p>

Karri was surprised. "She's shy at first," she admitted. "Don't worry though, by the end of the week, she'll have warmed up to everyone and you won't be able to get her to shut up."

The evening passed fairly quickly, with good food and conversation, though the group from Japan did more listening than talking, minus Kotaro, who had to join in the conversations, even if he wasn't always sure what they were talking about.

It wasn't long before it was time to call it a night. With a wave, the three girls escorted Mimiko back across the hall, leaving Jiro and Kotaro with their new American buddies. Someone had thought to bring over their bag from the girls' apartments while they were enjoying the evening.

"Hope you don't mind that there's only one bed available," James said as he spread a sleeping back out on the floor."

Kotaro immediately sprang for the bedding. "Awesome! I want to sleep here, brother."

Jiro glanced wryly at his brother. "It's fine," he assured the youth. He didn't think he needed to mention that he usually didn't sleep on a bed, but in a coffin. But, since Kotaro was more than happy to sleep on the floor, he supposed it wouldn't hurt to take the bed, though it was a little odd to share a room with someone other than his brother, and occasionally Mimiko. But he could cope with that.

James pulled out an extra pillow for the younger Black Blood. "And don't worry about sleeping in. It's spring break so everyone will be sleeping as late as the sun will let them." He crawled into his own bed, on the other side of the room. "Mind shutting off the light when you're ready?" Within a matter of minutes, he was breathing rhythmically in sleep.

"Wow," Kotaro blinked. "He must have been really tired or something." He ruffled up the sleeping bag to his liking and settled in. "Night brother!"

Jiro was left to turn the light off. Once that was taken care of, he lowered himself onto the bed, not bothering with the covers as he placed his hat over his face and let himself drift into sleep. Outside, the occasional sound of a car passing could be heard, but silence reigned as a clock struck three somewhere in the distance.


	2. Chapter 2: Day One, Hints At Things To C

**Chapter Two: Day One, Hints At Things To Come**

Mimiko stared groggily at the blank walls around her. She couldn't immediately place herself. Thoughts of hotel rooms sprang into her head and she wondered how she'd ended up in one once more. The last time that had happened, she'd temporarily lost her home in the Special Zone because someone had blown it up.

She sat up suddenly. But the room didn't look like any hotel room she knew. A small closet stared back at her, a door closed next to it. And across from her bed sat a small dresser and a window where light peeped in. She let herself fall back against the pillows as she realized that she was not back in Japan, as her dreams had said she was, but in America, visiting her friends while on vacation.

She rolled over with a slight groan. Had it really been three months since her ordeal with Kanaye Raidon? She was more than glad that it was all over, though she wished that some of the effects of that time would just go away already. Her knee was still funny sometimes; something the doctor had said was a result of bruising the bone. It could take up to a year until that fully healed, she'd been told. But that wouldn't stop her from enjoying herself. She'd decided that before she'd left Japan.

A light tap came on her door. "Mimiko, you awake?" The door opened and Lucienne popped her head around the jam. Appetizing odors followed after her.

Mimiko propped herself up. "Morning," she yawned.

Lucienne laughed lightly. "Actually, it's already afternoon," she corrected. "I thought I'd better see if you were awake enough for some lunch. The guys have already had their share and are apparently enjoying a friendly game of cards with Kotaro. I believe Jiro's keeping things fair."

Mimiko chuckled lightly as she got out of bed. "I hope they're not playing poker. Kotaro's pretty good at that game."

"Nah," the other girl replied. "I think they're playing Go Fish, either that or Egyptian Rat Killer."

Mimiko blinked. "Huh?"

Lucienne waved an arrant hand. "Never mind. Come out when you're ready. Food will be on the table." She closed the door behind her, a smile on her face. Her Japanese friend was so cute!

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Jiro leaned over to see his brother's hand of cards. He still didn't know how he did it. They'd already played five rounds of cards since getting up, and Kotaro was easily beating every last one of the guys, regardless of the game they taught him. And if Jiro had judged his brother's current hand correctly, he would likely win for a sixth time. It was a very good thing that Mimiko's friends were good natured because he knew a lot of people who would not be when it came to being trounced by a ten-year-old at cards.

Kotaro let out a laugh of excitement as he noticed the last card put on the pile. Within a matter of seconds, he'd laid his entire hand down with a squeal of happiness. "I win again!"

The guys groaned. Scott threw his cards down. "Of all the things…" he glanced at the crowing vampire, "to be beaten by a kid at my best game!"

The others laughed, slapping him on the back. "Chin up! There are other things to beat them at," Damien smiled.

A knock sounded at the door and James went to answer it while they continued to banter back and forth. "The girls are here," he called out as he threw the door wide open to let them in.

Karri and Lucienne posed like they were models as they entered and the guys whistled. Mimiko followed after Sarah, very self-consciously, her cheeks flaming red.  
>"Mimi!" Kotaro jumped up from his perch and ran to her, hugging her.<p>

Mimiko laughed. "Hey Kotaro. Good to see you too. I take you it won?" She looked around, noticing the cards that were now slightly scattered.

Kotaro's grin spread. "You bet I did! In every game they taught me too!"

The compromiser blinked, then looked towards Jiro with a question in her eye.

Jiro shrugged. "It was all fair," he said in answer to her unspoken question. "I don't think anyone can complain that he was cheating."

Matt thumped the Silver Blade on the shoulder in a comradely manner. "I think the only thing we have to complain about is that we got trounced by a little kid. Scott'll be coming up with ways to beat him for the rest of the week!" The other guys laughed, Scott joining them good-naturedly.

Jiro was a bit surprised by the Red Blood's actions, but he took it in stride. "So, what are we going to be doing today," he asked, glancing back at Mimiko. It was, after all, her vacation.

Mimiko glanced around at the girls. "Um… well, actually, I have no idea. I only had one thing really in mind and apparently everyone else decided we should wait to do that so I have no clue." She looked towards Lucienne for help.

The girl laughed. "Don't worry! We have everything planned!" She glanced slyly at Jiro, then back to Mimiko. "You mentioned that you weren't sure if Jiro here had gotten a certain item of clothing before you left Japan. I think it might not be a bad idea to see if he really did or if we need to go do some shopping." She had a mischievous gleam in her eye that the compromiser quickly picked up on.

"You're right!" She turned to face Jiro, hands on her hips. It was a bit of a funny sight, considering she was wearing blue jeans and a t-shirt, but the glare was still the same. "Jiro… I know I asked you last night, but you didn't really answer. So answer me truthfully, you did pack one of _those_ for yourself, right?"

The guys were suddenly very attentive, staring between the two as Jiro's mouth hung slightly open. Kotaro looked between the compromiser and his brother with confusion written all over his face.

It took only a moment for Jiro to compose himself. "I didn't realize that you were serious when you requested that I bring one," he replied. "As such, I decided not to worry about it. Though I do believe Kotaro has one."

Mimiko leaned forward, hands still on hips as she continued to glare at him. "Is that right." Her tone went slightly sarcastic. "Then I guess that leaves us without much choice, does it?" She turned to Lucienne and Karri. Sarah had disappeared somewhere. "You know what this means, right ladies?"

The two girls nodded solemnly, though it looked like they were trying very hard not to laugh under their stern faces, arms folded. Lucienne glanced over at Matt and nodded. "It's _that_ thing we talked about the other night."

Matt's face lit up with understanding. "Oh! _That_!" He glanced at the guys. "Think you can take him? After all, he is a vampire." His three companions laughed.  
>Jiro stood. "I don't know what you're planning, but you might consider sharing before I do something we might not all like."<p>

Mimiko snorted. "Come on, Jiro! It's not like we're plotting anything illegal! Can't you just play along?"

"Yeah," Karri spoke up, hands on her hips now. "This is Mimiko's vacation! And she wants to see you in _that_ so you'd better cooperate! You wouldn't want to make her unhappy, would you?"

Everyone was looking at Jiro as he glanced around. He wondered if rabbits felt like this when cornered by coyotes. He let out a sigh in surrender. "Very well." After all, it was Mimiko's vacation and he did want her to enjoy herself. She didn't get enough time to do so back in the Special Zone. "But please don't go overboard," he requested.

Scott grinned. "Yes! Now we'll get to see if those books are really telling the truth about vampires!"

The three from Japan paused, not sure what to make of that comment.

Lucienne came to their rescue. "They're talking about the teen sensation book that was recently turned into a movie, about two lovers, one's a vampire, the other a human girl. Forbidden love. They have a bet going on about whether or not vampires really sparkle in the sun."

"Ah," Jiro nodded in understanding. "I hate to disappoint you then." He turned to the guys. "Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, _real_ vampires don't sparkle, be it in sunlight or otherwise."

Scott groaned. "Man, are you sure?" He looked around to see if he had any supporters left after that statement.

Mimiko smiled. "I think if anyone knew, Jiro would. And I personally haven't seen any vampires sparkle either. And you know I live with them. However, Jiro does steam in the sun, even if Kotaro doesn't."

The boys took renewed interest in the older Black Blood. "Really?" "Is that true?" "Awesome!" "I want to see!"

Jiro wore a look of long suffering. "Yes, it's true," he answered reluctantly; sure that Mimiko was partly poking fun at him. "I am, unfortunately, affected negatively by the sun. As Mimiko said, not all vampires are affected in that manner. My little brother is not."

"Well then," Karri put her hands together, "I think we've delayed long enough. I think it's time that we go shopping. Ladies!"

Everyone jumped up and, with a bit of reluctance, Jiro followed the group out of the apartment and down to the parking lot. He wondered just what kind of bathing suit they had in mind to make him wear. He just hoped their tastes didn't run in the more…. risqué direction.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Meanwhile, back in the Special Zone, Zelman Clock stared moodily at the far wall of his inner sanctum. The day had been rather humdrum at best, with nothing really exciting having gone on. He didn't even feel like smoking, which was unusual. "Sayuka!" He called loudly for his personal assistant to come.

After a few minutes, the somewhat mousy woman entered the room, looking professional and uptight as usual. "You summoned, Lord Zelman?" She glanced questioningly at the red-haired Black Blood.

"Sayuka, how long ago did the compromiser and the Silver Blade leave for America?" He idly toyed with a canned beverage.

Sayuka straightened, flipping an errant strand of hair away from her face. "They flew out a little over two days ago, Lord Zelman," she replied.

He crossed one leg over the other. "So that means they've been there for almost a full day now, doesn't it," he asked rhetorically. "I wonder what would happen if I were to take a bit of a vacation as well." He glanced at his assistant.

She looked flustered, not sure how to take his musings. "But, Lord Zelman, surely that wouldn't be such a good idea. After all, you are a…"

Zelman grinned, letting his fangs show. "Go ahead and say it, Sayuka. I'm a vampire. But people in America are so much more open to such things and I have desired a change of scene for a while. Why don't you arrange for a flight to their location? I'm sure that neither the Silver Blade or Miss Katsuragi would mind if I were to just drop in." His eyes sparkled and Sayuka momentarily forgot how to breathe.

"Of… of course, Lord Zelman," she stammered, unable to say no to the look he gave her. "I'll make the arrangements right away." She turned to leave without permission, her cheeks flaming red.

Zelman chuckled as she closed the door behind her. Subordinates were so easy to manipulate, he mused.


	3. Chapter 3: Shopping for Cowboys and Indi

**Chapter Three: Shopping for Cowboys and Indians**

"This store looks promising," Lucienne commented as she parked the car in the large lot outside a sporting goods store. "They usually have a pretty good selection."

The guys pulled up next to her in their car. Loud talking could be heard coming from their car, making Jiro glad he'd decided to stay with Mimiko, though Kotaro had wanted to join the four guys on the way over. He'd felt very grateful that they'd parked in a shaded area the night before and he hadn't yet needed to make use of his umbrella that he had by his side.

Mimiko was out of the car before he was. It took him a moment longer as he pushed the umbrella out ahead of him, opening it before he stepped out into the sun. His long red coat and hat were catching some rather odd glances from other shoppers entering or exiting their cars, but he paid them no mind. The afternoon air was hot and dry, the sun shining mercilessly from above.

Once everyone was out of the car they'd come in, they started towards the main doors, drawing more stares as they walked. After all, they did make quite the spectacle. Lucienne had quickly donned a blue wig before they'd left, and the clothes Matt and Damian were wearing weren't exactly what Jiro would call usual either, ripped jeans and t-shirts with paint splashed all over them. Why they chose to wear such clothes was beyond him. Karri and Mimiko were the only two dressed not to stand out.

The moment they entered the store, they were bombarded with various scents and products, from hunting riffles to kayak paddles. Jiro didn't even want to imagine Mimiko with one of the many riffles displayed on a far wall. No matter where he looked, he couldn't see a swimwear department but Karri seemed to know exactly where to go as she took charge, heading confidently down an aisle towards the back of the store.

Various employees and customers stared at the rather strange group as they navigated their way to the back. Conversations stopped abruptly, only to turn in unexpected directions the moment the strangely dressed group passed them. But Mimiko seemed to be the only one really affected by the unexpected attention. She kept turning to glance behind her, her ears burning red at some of the comments she heard. Apparently this area was small enough that things like this were not exactly ordinary, not that they were most places, but then, this was America and Jiro did stand out in almost all red.

"Here we are," Karri exclaimed as they came upon several racks of various bathing suits, one rack of women, one for men. "You do know what size you wear, right?"

Jiro blinked. "Uh…"

Damian put an arm around Jiro's shoulders, obviously fairly comfortable around the Black Blood. "Hey, it's okay if you don't have a clue. I mean, having issues with water and all that. We'll help you, right guys?" His friends chorused their support. "So, why don't you girls go off while we take care of our man here? You can check out the riffles or something."

Lucienne nodded. "That's a great idea! Mimiko needs to learn how to shoot anyway so we should pick out a twenty-two or something for her. After all, I do still have that money my brother gave me for a gun. I've been meaning to pick one up so take your time guys!" She took Mimiko by the arm and started to drag her towards the gun section. "You too, Kotaro! This way!"

Jiro suddenly found himself facing a bunch of young Red Bloods. Behind him, he could hear Mimiko being dragged to the other end of the store. He wasn't sure if she was dragging because she didn't want to look at the guns or because she wanted to see Jiro's choice in bathing suits. He hoped it was more the former.

The idea of Mimiko with a gun was a bit frightening. She probably had never handled one in her entire life and would probably only hurt herself if she were given the chance to use one. Either that, or she'd accidentally hurt someone else. But before he could offer a protest, the girls were out of a reasonable range to do anything about it. And it definitely didn't help that he was surrounded by overly helpful guys who obviously were intent on making sure the girls' wishes were fulfilled.

* * *

><p>Mimiko let herself be led away, a bit reluctantly, admittedly. She had no idea why they'd suddenly decided that she needed to check out the gun section, or why they'd even brought it up, but she definitely was not comfortable with the idea. She'd rather stay with Jiro and help him pick a suitable set of swimming trunks, not that it looked like they exactly had a very wide selection, and she definitely could not picture him wearing a bikini style Speedo.<p>

"Over here, Mimiko," Lucienne called as they headed down an aisle at the front of the store where many different guns were on display, along with their accompanying bullets and accessories.

Kotaro's eyes bugged out as he looked at everything. "Oh wow!" He turned to Mimiko. "Do you think they'd sell the ones the Suppression Team uses? That would be awesome!"

Mimiko stared at the young Black Blood, suddenly realizing that it might not have been such a good idea to have him tag along to the gun section. "Uh, Kotaro, I don't think Jiro would ever like for you to even touch a gun. I'm sure he's not exactly happy with the idea of me touching one either." She glanced at her two friends who were checking out the selection .22's. "Not that they'll listen," she added, then smiled brightly as Karri looked her way.

Lucienne had picked up one gun and was settling the butt against her shoulder as she pretended to aim at the ceiling. "This one's not bad," she commented. "What do you think, Mimiko?" She tried to hand the gun to her Japanese friend but she refused.  
>Mimiko backed away a step. "Don't get me wrong," she tried to explain, "but I've never even handles a gun, let along fired one!"<p>

Karri and Lucienne exchanged glances. "We might have to fix that," Karri commented. "I know the guys have been wanting to go out to the shooting range for a while now."  
>Lucienne looked thoughtful. "You're right. And our plans aren't entirely set in stone."<p>

Mimiko began to worry. "What are you guys plotting now? Surely you don't expect me to actually shoot a gun while I'm out here, do you?"

Their expressions, however, confirmed her fears. "There's nothing to it," Lucienne commented. "It's really easy, and if we're at the shooting range, no one will get hurt. We'll just want to make sure we pick up an extra set or two of ear plugs."

Karri was nodding. "I say we go for it. I think the guys were planning something like that anyway. After all, they're the ones who brought up guns."

Kotaro tugged on Mimiko's hand. "Hey, Mimi, do you think they'd let me shoot one, just once?"

Mimiko blinked, not entirely sure what to think. "Uh… remember what I said earlier?"  
>Kotaro's face fell. "Ah man! You guys get to have all the fun!"<p>

Lucienne caught their conversation. She bent to his eye level. "Tell you what, why don't we find you a nice cap gun or water gun? Surely your brother won't be opposed to that, right Mimiko?"

The compromiser looked a little uneasy, but Kotaro's eyes were shining. "I don't know," she started, then changed her mind. "We'll have to see," she finally conceded after looking at Kotaro's puppy-dog eyes. "Maybe not so much with the water gun…"

Lucienne stood triumphantly. "Cap guns it is!"

Kotaro jumped for joy. "Yeah!"

"Oh dear." Mimiko felt a headache coming on.

* * *

><p>Jiro heaved a sigh of relief. They'd all finally agreed on a suitable garment for him, though he hadn't exactly been given much say, other than that he refused to wear anything too revealing, which was fine with everyone else. And it definitely could have been worse. At least they hadn't made him getting anything too form fitting.<p>

While the boys were busy purchasing his new trunks, the Silver Blade decided to search for the girls, Mimiko in particular. He was still rather uncomfortable with the idea of Mimiko even looking at a gun, much less handling one. And since they'd said they were going to look for one, he headed in the direction he'd noted earlier, but the aisle was empty. "Hmm," he mused. "I wonder where they've gone."

"Hey! Jiro!" Matt was waving at him from the front counter. "We're ready to go!"

Jiro glanced once more down the aisles as he walked over. "Might I ask where the others have gone?"

Matt finished paying the cashier and took the bag handed to him. "You mean the girls? Karri said something about dropping by a place just a few stores down. She said they'd meet us back at the apartment. Why?"

The Black Blood smiled in relief. At least they hadn't been abducted or something. "No reason. Shall we go then?" He followed his companions out to their vehicle, looking around the parking lot before entering the car but he didn't see Mimiko, Kotaro, or the two girls with them.

* * *

><p>Kotaro smiled happily as he carried the large sack, the butt of a riffle sticking out from the top. He marched like he imagined a soldier would walk, his legs stiff like a toy soldier's.<p>

Karri and Lucienne giggled. "He's so cute," Lucienne enthused. "I almost wish he was mine and that I could keep him forever."

Mimiko blinked at the comment, not sure what to make of it. "Uh, well, I don't think that would be… that is to say…"

Karri put a reassuring hand on Mimiko's shoulder. "She's kidding, Mimiko. Lucienne just likes kids. She comes from a big family, after all."

Mimiko chuckled a bit awkwardly. "Yeah, I forgot about that."

Lucienne pulled out her cell phone and looked at the time. "Oh wow," she said, "we spent longer in there than I thought. The guys have probably already gone back to the apartments."

A funny rumbling noise sounded and the girls stopped in surprise, looking around to find the cause. It was much louder than what they'd heard last night, though it did sound very like the tummy grumble Kotaro had made when they'd picked them up from the airport.

Kotaro laughed a bit guiltily. "Eh…" he blushed. "Sorry!"

Mimiko smiled. "Sounds like it's about time for dinner," she commented.

Karri stared at Kotaro. "Did that sound come from you, Kotaro?"

The young vampire turned shyly away. "Yeah," he said. "Brother says I have a really big mouth too so I guess it only makes sense that my tummy's so loud, right?"

The three girls looked at each other then burst out laughing. "That's so cute! I wish my little brother was like you," Lucienne rumpled his hair. "You're such a hoot! I wish my little brother was like you!"

Mimiko glanced up at the sky. "You know, we probably should be heading back now. I'm sure everyone's wondering what's taking us so long." She thought of Jiro. He would probably be pacing or brooding, wondering what was taking them so long. He might even be plotting to go jumping around the city looking for her and that was something she definitely had to prevent.

"You're right," Karri agreed. "We really should be getting back before the guys start wondering where we are. Who knows what they'll do?"  
>Lucienne shrugged but led the way back to the car.<p>

* * *

><p>The ride back was rather uneventful. Kotaro played with his new guns, loading the small caps. The set had come with a handgun and a riffle. He giggled to himself as he loaded the small orange rounds. "Man! This is going to be so much fun! I can't wait to show this off!"<p>

Mimiko groaned. Chances were he'd try to scare his brother and the other guys on top of that. Well, she couldn't be held responsible for whatever Jiro did to him. It wasn't like it was her idea to get Kotaro a gun in the first place.

"We're here," Lucienne announced, making Mimiko realize the car had stopped and that the others were getting out.

Before Mimiko knew it, they were exiting the elevator and heading to the girls' apartment.

Kotaro was grinning and laughing to himself the entire time, acting like he was a safari captain on the hunt of some big game, running from door to door like he was hiding behind bushes. "Hehehehe! Brother won't know what hit him!"

The compromiser winced; knowing something less than pleasant could result from this. She put out a hand to restrain the young Black Blood but Karri stopped her. "Let him play," she suggested. "After all, it's not like Jiro'd do anything really awful in retaliation, right?"

Mimiko wasn't sure but she let it be. They'd have to find out for themselves soon enough either way. "I hope you're right," she said as she followed her friend, walking slower than before. If Jiro did blow up about this, she didn't want to be in the line of fire.

…

Kotaro held his toy riffle firmly as he snuck up on the apartment. He was doing his best to imitate what he'd seen on TV. It probably helped that the door to the apartment he was aiming for was already open. Tantalizing smells were coming from within, making his mouth water but he was determined to follow through with his joke.

He slowly crept closer and closer, sliding along the wall. He laughed under his breath, then paused just by the door. Counting to himself, he made ready to turn quickly and enter. "One. Two. Three!"

The moment he turned to fire off his round of caps, he was in for a surprise. Orange darts shot out at him from several locations. "Ah!" He fired a couple caps into the air as he ducked for cover. Laughter followed from inside.

* * *

><p>Damian and Matt slapped high fives, Nerf guns in hand. "Did you see his reaction? Priceless!"<p>

Jiro watched from a safe perch behind the kitchen counter where he was stirring something in a tall pot. He smiled in amusement. He'd somewhat wondered what they'd been up to when they brought out the toy guns after spotting Lucienne's car from outside. Well, boys would be boys, he supposed. And at least it was harmless fun, though he wasn't sure he quite liked the idea of Kotaro with any type of gun. At least it was a harmless one.

Scott was laughing so hard he'd fallen back against the couch. "Told you I'd get you back!"

Kotaro crawled back into the room, his riffle trailing behind him. "That wasn't very nice," he sulked.

"What's all the fuss," Lucienne asked as she walked into the room, Mimiko and Karri following behind. She held up an orange dart. "Found this outside. Having a war again?"

James took the dart she held out. "I think we just surprised him. He didn't expect we'd be waiting for him with our own ammunition."

Lucienne and Karri gave Mimiko knowing smiles. After all, they knew these guys well. "So…" Lucienne dragged out, looking around, "I trust you guys got him," and she pointed to Jiro, "a nice set of trunks. Can we see?"

Matt grinned. "You bet we did, but you don't get to see them until we go to the beach! Fair's fair." He glanced at his compatriots with a nod. It was only fair that Jiro had an ace up his sleeve too, and guys had to stick together, after all.

Damian went to check on the food on the stove, stirring the pot of noodles and sauce on one of the burners. "Speaking of beaches, when were we going?"

Karri spoke up before anyone else could answer. "That would be tomorrow, right?" She glanced at Lucienne for confirmation. "Yep, tomorrow. It'll take a bit to get there so we'd probably better leave by five."

Mimiko looked at her friends a bit incredulously. Five in the morning? There was totally no way she'd be getting up that early on her vacation.

Scott had finally picked himself up from the couch. "Hey, man," he turned to James, "you were able to borrow your mom's van, right? I mean, even if we have our two cars, we can't possibly fit everything in there with all of us. Sarah's actually coming for this one too, right?"

James nodded. "Yeah, I've got the van. I pick it up tomorrow after three so we'll have time to pack it up. And, yes, Sarah's coming this time. She doesn't have to work."

Jiro nodded to himself. He'd wondered about the quiet girl he'd met last night. She had a habit of simply disappearing and he really hadn't gotten the chance to learn much about her. She certainly was a mysterious girl, but if she'd had to work, that explained a lot. He glanced at Mimiko, who looked like she was having a bit of a panic attack, though he wasn't sure why. Perhaps the time they'd set for their outing tomorrow was the cause. He knew she liked her sleep when she could get it.

He decided to walk over to her. "Why don't you sit down," he invited. "You look like you could use it."

"Soup's up!" Damian called out as he moved the pot from the stove to a holder on the countertop. "Pasta for everyone!"

Mimiko sat down on the couch where Jiro had led her. He left to get her plate of food while she stared a bit incredulously around her. "No sleep tonight," she muttered. "I'm just not going to get any sleep tonight."

Karri looked questioningly at the compromiser. "Hey, Mimiko, don't worry about," she consoled. "You can sleep in as long as you like. I mean, it's not like we're going anywhere before noon tomorrow."

Mimiko looked up. "We're not? But you guys just said we'd be leaving by five?" She absently took the plate Jiro handed her.

Lucienne tried to resist the urge to laugh. "Five in the evening, silly," she finally squeaked. "You didn't seriously think we meant in the morning did you?" But she could tell by the expression on her friend's face that she'd thought just that. "Oh gosh, Mimiko! We know that Jiro can't go out half naked under the sun! We wouldn't do something like that to him, or to you! We're hitting the beach at night!"

Mimiko looked slightly relieved, though she felt incredibly embarrassed for the misunderstanding. To hide her embarrassment, she decided to fork right into her food, not noticing that the noodles were still steaming hot. The first bite burned her tongue. "Ah! Hot! Hot!" She waved her free hand near her mouth to try and cool it down.

"Here," Jiro handed her a glass of water as he tried not to look amused.

The girl gladly took the cup and gulped down the liquid inside. "Thanks," she said as she tried to find a place to put the empty cup. "I didn't realize the noodles were so hot."

Jiro took the cup for her and set it on the coffee table. "Perhaps you should let them cool off a bit before eating any more," he advised. His plate sat on the coffee table next to her empty cup.

"Maybe you're right," she conceded. She glanced around the room. Kotaro was wolfing down his own helping without stopping, despite the steam coming from his plate. She didn't know how he did it. The guys were egging him on and she supposed that was one of the reasons, aside from the fact that he didn't seem to have a sensitive tongue. Oh well, she sighed. She'd just have to be a baby about it.

"So," Lucienne spoke up, "I was thinking that since Mimiko hasn't been shooting, we could take her to the range on Wednesday so she knows what it's like. What do you think?"

The guys chorused hearty approval. Jiro resisted the urge to face palm. These crazy Americans were trying to give him a heart attack, he decided. Well, perhaps he would allow the compromiser to go to the shooting range, but there was no way he'd allow her to actually shoot a gun. She needed to learn a healthy respect for what they could do, after all. He'd definitely have to keep an eye on her if they did end up going.


	4. Chapter 4: Disobeying Orders

**Chapter Four: Disobeying Orders**

Zelman leaned back against his first class seat. He had the entire section to himself, total VIP treatment, which suited him just fine. Sayuka had definitely delivered. But then she knew better than to try and place a reservation for anything less. And he could afford it.

He sipped his drink from its clear glass. Being a VIP definitely had its perks, he decided. Perhaps he'd travel more often, not that everyone else back at the Special Zone would like that, but then he had persuaded Sei that he wasn't going to do anything Jiro wouldn't do, which was likely. After all, he had to protect his own interests as well, though the Dragon King had given him a strict warning that if he did anything to reveal their true nature, he'd definitely be punished for it.

Zelman laughed. A little boy was giving him a lecture. Granted, Sei was, technically, older than him, even if he was in the form of a child. It reminded him a lot of Kotaro.

He stared out the window at the night sky. Soon he'd be landing at what he'd learned was a fairly quaint little airport in the heart of a desert. It was a perfect place for vampires sensitive to water to enjoy some beach time. He supposed that if Mimiko had been serious about her threat to Jiro at her welcome back party, they'd likely end up going to some type of sand dunes closer to the evening when the sun wouldn't effect the Silver Blade as much.

He had plenty of time to find out. After all, Sayuka had been fairly thorough in her research about this venture, down to where the small Japan group would be staying, though Zelman was going to a hotel instead of the dorms at the local college. He couldn't ruin the surprise prematurely. He wondered how Jiro would react. 

* * *

><p>Damian wiped the sweat from his forehead as he closed the doors to the back of the fifteen-passenger van. They'd taken out the back seat to make room for the various paraphernalia that they planned on using later that evening, from volleyball nets to a couple small tents for changing in, as well as a couple coolers of food and drinks.<p>

"Whew!" Scott leaned against the van. "Man, only spring break and already so warm." He looked at his watch. "Looks like we have half an hour before five. You sure we got everything in there?"

James came around from the other side of the van. "We should. I just finished checking the oil and everything. Good thing we have lots of tinted windows. Sun won't go down for another couple hours."

Matt came around from the dorms, carrying one last box of stuff. "The girls sent this down," he said. "And yeah, I hear you on the windows. Though I still really want to see that vampire steam."

"Yeah," Scott agreed. "Too bad he doesn't sparkle in sunlight. That'd be so cool."

"Or lame," Damian countered.

"Well," Scott continued, "at least we get to see if he's any good at sports. Maybe we should have a competition? Winner has to make the losers a pie or something."

"Just a pie?" Damian laughed. "I was thinking more like a whole meal!"

The guys all gave each other high-fives in agreement. "Let's do it!" They headed back indoors to see how the girls were coming along, not to mention their vampire friends.

"You know," Matt spoke up, "I've been wondering. You know how in that movie the vampires don't have fangs? Do you think Jiro and Kotaro do?"

Scott pushed the elevator button. "That's a good point! I mean, it's not like we've seen them or anything."

James rolled his eyes. "Maybe you'd better not ask," he commented. "You might make the girls mad."

The others rolled their eyes. "Come on, James!"

James put his hands up. "If you want to ask, go ahead. I'm not interested. But if you do ask, don't do it around the girls. We don't want to freak them out, right?" He thought of Sarah as he spoke. She didn't go in for scary movies.

"Fine," Damian and Scott agreed. Matt just shrugged as they left the elevator.

* * *

><p>Mimiko twiddled her fingers. "You ready for this," she asked Jiro as they sat facing each other in the girl's apartment. She felt unusually nervous for some odd reason. It couldn't have anything to do with the fact that she was soon going to be showing off more skin than she was used to the Black Blood seeing, she reasoned. There was no way. And it couldn't possibly be because she was soon going to see more of Jiro's skin than she'd ever seen either. Her cheeks burned at the idea.<p>

Jiro glanced at her questioningly, not entirely sure why she was embarrassed. "I'm as ready as you are," he finally answered with a smile.

Mimiko let out her breath. "I haven't been in public in a swimming suit for quite a while," she confessed. "I feel a little awkward." She already had her suit on, underneath her jeans and t-shirt.

"Hmm," Jiro mused. He felt a little awkward about the situation as well, but telling her that probably wouldn't help.

Kotaro ran into the room in his swimming trunks, all ready to go. "Yippee! This is going to be so much fun!"

Jiro sighed. "Kotaro, do you intend to wear that the entire ride there? Wouldn't it be better if you at least waited to change like everyone else?"

"Ah! But brother!" Kotaro began to pout.

"No buts," Jiro intoned. "Now go put your clothes back on. You can change back when we get there."

"Fine," Kotaro griped as he went back over to the guys' apartment to change back into his normal clothes. "It'd be more fun if there was a swimming pool too."

"Ugh," Jiro said as he covered his face with one hand. "That brother of mine."

Lucienne and Karri came out from their room. "We're ready," they said together. Both were wearing a pair of cut-off jeans and t-shirts with flip flop sandals. Behind them, Sarah entered the room wearing pants and a button-up shirt with long sleeves.

Matt poked his head into the apartment. "Van's all packed. We're ready when you guys are!"

Mimiko stood from her perch. "We're just waiting for Kotaro," she commented. "He'll probably only take a minute."

"Okay," Lucienne clapped her hands for attention as the other guys came in, "final check. Food. Volleyball net. Tents. Games."

Matt checked off each item on the list as she listed them. "Tank's full so we shouldn't have any problems," he added. "We're ready as soon as the kid is, I guess."

Kotaro entered the apartment, slight frown on his face, which transformed into a smile as he saw Scott and Damian. "I'm ready!"

"Then let's go," Matt said, leading them into the hallway. "Daylight's wasting while you're all here chatting!"

Mimiko blinked at the comment but decided not to ask about it as they headed to the elevator. "How far away is this beach of yours," she asked instead.

Lucienne held the elevator doors while everyone entered the car. "A couple hours' worth of driving. Don't worry. By the time we get there and set everything up, the sun should be mostly down."

"It's a good thing everyone slept in late this morning," Karri commented. "After all, it's likely going to be a late night!" 

* * *

><p>Kain Warlock paced the room. "Lord Dragon! How could you have let him out? What if he does something that exposes us? It could spell disaster! What were you thinking?"<p>

Sei stood calmly, his hands folded in front of him while the Blue Wolf complained. It was best to let him get everything out before he acted on the impulses the Dragon King knew would likely follow. "Kain," he said gently, "it will be all right. I don't believe Zelman will do anything to expose us."

Kain whirled in his tracks. "You don't know that! He's a master of chaos! He does nothing except for what benefits himself! You know that!"

The younger looking Black Blood remained firm in his stance. "If I did not believe things would work out, I would not have let him leave," he reminded.

"Lord Dragon!"

"Enough!" Sei let a small measure of his power leak out, causing the air to ripple. "I have someone keeping an eye on him. If he does anything to cause concern, he will be dealt with." 

* * *

><p>The sun had started its decent into the west by the time they finally arrived at their destination. For the longest time, there had been nothing to view but desert scrub and red rock, not that the red rock wasn't beautiful in its own way. It was, at the very least, something the Japanese group was not used to.<p>

After driving through a canyon, they had been rather surprised when a valley opened up right in front of them. Dunes of slightly pink sand went as far as the eyes could see, well, at least human eyes. The dunes were interspersed with the occasional tuft of sagebrush, most of which was dry and ready to be burned.

"Oh wow," Kotaro said as he goggled at the giant sand box in front of him. "This is awesome! Look brother! It's a beach without an ocean!"

Jiro smiled. "Yes Kotaro. They call it a desert."

Mimiko laughed. "You didn't think we'd go to a place where Jiro couldn't join in on the fun, did you?"

"All out," James called as he exited the vehicle. "With maybe the exception of our friend here. The sun might still be too much for him until we get the tents up." He glanced around the driver's seat at the Black Blood.

Sarah was the first out from the back part of the van. She immediately went to help James take things from the back, the other Americans following. Kotaro quickly followed, not to be left out of the fun.

Jiro glanced at Mimiko, whose way out was blocked by the Black Blood merely because he was sitting in the middle and she was on the furthest side. "I must admit, I'm a little surprised at the turn of events," he confessed. "It still amazes me that they've accepted everything so easily. It makes me wonder if there isn't some kind of catch."

Mimiko laughed. "Always so suspicious, Jiro. Relax. Enjoy yourself. There's nothing out here to worry about, aside from a few scorpions. And they won't bother us if we don't bother them. What was it were told me when we first landed? Oh yeah, everything will be fine."

The Silver Blade pulled his hat lower over his head and slid across the seat into the sun. He thrust his umbrella out ahead of him to block as many of the rays as possible. "Shall we then?" He stepped out, then turned to offer Mimiko his hand so that she could step down from the tall vehicle without a problem.

While the two had been inside talking, the guys had been busy setting up the two tents, one for the ladies, and one for the gents. The girls had begun setting up the volleyball net while Kotaro tried to be helpful without too much success.

Jiro strode over to where Matt and Scott were just finishing with the last tent. "Is there something I might do to be of assistance," he inquired.

Matt wiped at his brow. "Yeah, we still need to gather sage brush for a bonfire," he said looking around at various clumps a little ways from camp.

Jiro's eyes glanced to where he indicated the closest clumps. "Any place specific where you'd like them to be gathered?"

Matt pointed at a small hollow across from where the girls were working on the net. "Over there should be good. Not too close to the volleyball court though. We don't need stray flames catching anyone."

Jiro nodded. "Of course." He held his umbrella high, squinting slightly against the sun. Keeping an eye on where everyone was, he decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to show these vampire fans what true Black Bloods were all about, since they obviously had the wrong impression.

The Silver Blade blinked and a haze of colored energy seemed to appear around him. With a flick of his middle finger, a clump of dried brush flew from its previous location to land in the spot Matt had indicated for the bonfire. He continued this routine until a sizeable mound had been formed.

"Would you look at that!" Scott's eyes were bugging out.

Damian and James turned from their tasks to check out what was going on. They turned in time to see several large clumps of sage fly across dunes and land on the growing mound of dry tinder.

Mimiko looked around at the exclamations from the guys. She caught sight Jiro's last load of brush as she turned. Her hands immediately went to her hips as she glared at him. "Jiro! Just what do you think you're doing?"

Jiro gave a nonchalant shrug towards the guys, telling them the show was over. "Nothing much," he responded. "I was merely gathering some firewood for the bonfire."

The compromiser charged up to him. "With the Hide Hand? Jiro! I thought we were going to not do things like that!"

Jiro smiled placatingly. "It's all right," he said, though he knew she was not a good mood at the moment. "Didn't you say they already knew about us anyway? I saw no harm in it."

Mimiko huffed. "That's…! That's not the point! Arg! I need some time alone!" She turned and stormed off.

"Dude," Damian commented. "Who knew she had such a temper?"

Scott laughed. "Yeah! And they say red heads are hot headed!"

Damian gave his friend look.

Jiro sighed. "Oh brother." He knew he'd have to apologize to her later, even if she was being somewhat unreasonable. Perhaps he shouldn't have used his technique, but it had sped up the wood gathering process, and no one other than their group could possibly have seen it. They already knew about their vampiric nature.

Kotaro sprinted up from the volleyball net. "Hey, brother, what's wrong with Mimi? She looked like she ate something that didn't agree with her."

Jiro gave his brother an amused smile. "Nothing much. I just did something she didn't like."

Kotaro scowled, his hands on his hips. "You didn't do anything mean to her, did you?"

"Nothing of the sort." Jiro's smile increased. "Just a difference of opinion. I'm sure she'll be back to her usual self in no time."


	5. Chapter 5: Firelight and Vampires

**Chapter Five: Firelight and Vampires**

Zelman looked around him. Red rocks were everywhere. Why they had to go out in the middle of nowhere was beyond him. Although there was the added advantage of being out of the public eye.

Since he'd landed in America, he'd done some scouting to find out just where the Compromiser and the Silver Blade had gone. It hadn't been too difficult. These Americans were fairly open, after all, unless many Japanese he knew. And after learning that they'd headed out to the desert, it didn't take long to find their tracks and follow them, once he knew what to look for.

And although he knew the general area of where they were going, he still hadn't come across their little camp. But he had come across a canyon, which definitely intrigued him. Besides, he didn't need to be in a hurry. The sun was still up and he knew Jiro wouldn't be doing much until the sun had gone down. That's when the real excitement would begin.

He put his hands in his pockets as he sauntered down the dirt road; sure they'd gone this way from the tire tracks in the dust. Perhaps his black and white tracksuit wasn't the best for such a setting, with the sun being so brilliant and everything, but the canyon did offer shade every now and again, especially as the sun was setting. Before too long, he'd probably catch up to them. It would be more fun if it were after dark.

* * *

><p>"Get it! Get it!" Lucienne yelled at Mimiko as the girl dived for the ball. "Almost," she groaned as the volleyball hit the sand. "Point to the guys' team."<p>

Matt, Damian, and Scott were all giving each other high fives while Sarah went to retrieve the ball. "Sweet! Only five more points, guys! We can do it!"

Kotaro sat on the sidelines watching while Jiro hid under his umbrella. "You'll get 'em next time, Mimi!" he cheered.

Mimiko gave him a halfhearted smile in return as she moved back into her area, waiting for James to serve the ball. She really wasn't much of a sports person and how her friends had convinced her to play was beyond her.

"Service!" James threw the ball into the air, then hit it over the net. It flew towards Lucienne, who bumped it towards Mimiko.

Mimiko watched the ball flying towards her, realizing it was going to fall short of reaching her. She decided to try something she hadn't previously and dived towards where she thought it would hit.

"Mimiko!" Jiro stood from his perch as he saw what the compromiser was doing.

The ball bounced off of her head as she hit the sand. It had enough height that Sarah was able to get under the ball and send it back over the net where the guys completely missed hitting it back.

Mimiko lay on her front, slightly stunned by the impact. She spit sand from her mouth as she went up to her knees and shook her head.

Jiro made as though to help her but Karri beat him. "You okay?" The taller girl gave her a hand up. "Can't say I saw that one coming."

Mimiko took her friend's hand. "Neither did I." She brushed sand from her shirt, glad that she had a bandana over her hair, though the ball had hit harder than she thought it would. "Whose serve is it?"

"Ours," Karri answered. "Your quick thinking allowed Sarah to send the ball back. Of course, I'm sure if Jiro hadn't said anything, the guys might not have been too distracted to hit it back." She smiled and waved at the Black Blood who had sat back down, seeing that Mimiko was okay.

James ran up to the net with the ball and handed it to Sarah. "The sun's starting to really sink. We'll probably want to think about getting some food here soon, and then get the bonfire going."

Lucienne pumped her fist into the air. "And then the fun really begins! Booyah!" She turned to point a finger directly at Jiro. "And we get to see _you_ in _that_!"

"Why do I suddenly feel as though I'm purposely being used for someone else's entertainment," Jiro sighed. Behind him, the shadows were extending as the sun went behind the cliffs behind them.

Scott and Damian headed towards one of the tents where the boxes and coolers had been stashed. They began rummaging in the nearest box. "Hey, where are the matches?"

Matt went over to look. "I'm pretty sure they got put in that box," he said. "Did you take em out?"

Karri sighed. "Looks like the guys lost the matches." She moved over to the coolers. "Well, might as well set out some food while there's still a little light left."

Sarah went over to help look in the boxes, taking a flashlight from the other tent with her. "Here," she offered them the light.

"Come on, Mimiko!" Lucienne urged the compromiser to come help them with the food while Jiro went after Kotaro.

Mimiko took one step, but stopped. She looked towards the mouth of the canyon they'd come through. She wasn't sure why, but she suddenly felt like someone was there, in the shadows between the two cliffs.

Jiro was almost instantly by her side. "You can sense it, can't you," he said. "Someone's coming." He wished he had his sword. "A Black Blood."

Everyone stopped at his comment. They turned to look towards the trail where the long shadow of someone approaching appeared.

"Who is that," Matt asked, trying to make out the individual coming their way, but the light was failing too quickly.

"Good evening," a very familiar, silky voice said from the shadows. A few more steps brought the red-haired vampire into view. "Silver Blade, Compromiser, and Americans. How exciting." He smiled, his fangs clearly showing in the remaining light. "Perhaps I can be of some assistance?"

Scott took a step forward. "Dude, who's this guy? Does he mean you guys?" He looked towards Mimiko and Jiro.

Jiro's back was ramrod straight, his shoulders stiff. He stared impassively towards the Crimson-Eyed Butcher. Mimiko stood a bit ill at ease next to him.

Zelman continued to move forward, entering the circle of their little camp. "I heard you were in need of some matches? Might I assume you mean to set that pier on fire?" He indicated Jiro's pile of dried sage.

"Zelman," Jiro said through clenched teeth. "What are you doing here?"

Zelman shrugged while the others remained quiet, waiting to see what would happen. "Nothing much. You might say I was incredibly bored so I thought I'd come bother you three. Where's Kotaro?"

Kotaro popped up from his perch. "Zelman!" He ran towards the older Black Blood excitedly. "Wow! Did you come to join us on vacation? This is awesome!"

Karri turned to the compromiser. "Hey, Mimiko? Who is this? Is he a friend of yours?"

Mimiko cringed slightly at the word "friend". "Kind of," she hedged. "You might say something like that. He and my mother were friends when I was little. And he did help Jiro save my life a couple months ago."

"So, are you gonna stay? You came to play, right?" Kotaro was bouncing up and down. "Please say you are!"

Zelman looked amused. "Well now, I think you should leave that up to Mimiko. This is her vacation after all." He flashed her a smile. "What do you say, compromiser? May I join your little party?"

Mimiko hesitated. If he was there, he'd obviously been granted some kind of permission to leave the Special Zone. But she also knew that Zelman and Jiro didn't quite get along, even though they'd both worked together several times in the past few months. She glanced at the Silver Blade but he wasn't giving her any hints. She sighed. "Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Zelman Clock. Zelman, these are my friends, Sarah, Karri, Lucienne, Matt, Damian, Scott, and James."

Damian went over to the redhead and held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Clock," he said with some amusement. "Welcome to the States. Are you a vampire too?"

Zelman took the offered hand with amusement. "I should think that one was obvious," he said, letting his fangs show in the low light. "And, please, call me Zelman. Everyone else does."

"We're all going to get into swimsuits," Kotaro interrupted. "Even brother is! And I've been waiting all day! You have one too, right?"

Zelman let out a thoughtful breath. "Swimsuits without an ocean or swimming pool, is it? Well, I suppose it can't be helped since some of our kind are rather…. _awkwardly_effected by water. But yes, I did come prepared." He gave Jiro a sly glance.

"Come now, guys," Karri interrupted, sure Zelman was potentially trying to pick a fight with the other vampire. "I thought we were going to get that bonfire going. Sun's gone. Or are we going by the light of flashlight all night?"

The guys were suddenly back to business. "The matches were here," Scott said as he rummaged in the box again.

Zelman laughed. "Please." He pushed past the gathered group, headed towards the pile of tinder. "Didn't I ask already if I could be of some assistance? Allow me." His eyes glowed red as he stared at the dried sage in front of him. The branches suddenly caught fire and the Crimson-Eyed vampire turned away from the flames. "That should do it," he commented as he walked past Jiro towards the tents.

Everyone but the three from Japan stood staring, stunned by this sudden display. Damian was the first to recover. "That was… FREAKING AWESOME!"

Zelman smiled. "Glad you approve. Why should the Silver Blade be the only one allowed to have fun?" He sent a sly glance towards Jiro and Mimiko who had moved over to one side. "Isn't that right, Compromiser?"

Mimiko rolled her eyes. He did have a point though, and what was done was done. "Just don't get out of hand," she warned. "I may be on vacation but I'm still a compromiser."

Kotaro disappeared into one of the tents while they were talking. He emerged shortly after Mimiko's little speech, wearing his swimming trunks. "I'm ready!" he announced. "You're turn!"

Lucienne and Karri came over to Mimiko and Jiro. Lucienne was smiling mischievously. "Mimiko, it's that time." She winked. "Shall we?"

The compromiser turned to Jiro. "All right, Jiro, you'd better not disappoint me," she said with hands on hips, her usual smug smile in place. "I'll be right back and you'd better be ready." She turned and followed after the other girls, heading to the opposite tent.

Scott, Matt, and Damian overheard her comments and went over to encourage their somewhat unwilling victim. Jiro followed them with a sigh. The things he did to please her.

Zelman watched their antics with amusement while Kotaro pulled out a bucket and shovel he'd somehow managed to stash in the van. He looked around. "Well, might as well join them," he said to no one in particular as he went to find a private place to change his own attire, not that he had to do much aside from remove his running suit. His swimming trunks were underneath.

After a few minutes, Mimiko emerged from the tent wearing a one-piece bathing suit in a light blue color with flower print and a bit of a skirt. Behind her, the other girls came out, each wearing a one-piece or tankini style suit of varying colors. They all looked around for the guys who had not yet emerged from their tent.

Zelman walked around his sand dune, wearing a pair of black swimming trunks with white stripes down the sides. He still wore the beanie over his shock of red hair. The firelight reflected brightly off of his pale chest.

Kotaro stared at the older vampire. "Oh wow," he breathed. "I thought you were pretty before, but you look amazing!"

Zelman smiled at the young child. "Thanks." He turned towards the tent the boys had disappeared into. "Now, where is that Silver Blade? I hope he's not too embarrassed to come out." He smirked.

Scott and Damian were the first to emerge from the boys' tent, wearing solid colored trunks. They were both grinning from ear to ear. "Hope you ladies are ready for this!" They gave each other knowing looks.

Mimiko turned to look. She had to admit, she was a bit excited about finally seeing Jiro in something a little more, well, normal. Perhaps normal wasn't the right word, she decided. But she had wondered about a few things, like did Jiro have strange designs or anything on his skin. He always wore his long sleeved black shirt and long pants, never revealing more skin than his wrists, and from the neck up.

Scott and Damian began to make drum roll sounds, slapping their thighs as they did. Their eyes were shining, clearly enjoying themselves. Behind them, the tent flaps began to move once more.

Karri and Lucienne shook their heads but smiled. Sarah went over to Kotaro to help him with his sand castle. Mimiko put one hand on her hip as she waited, amused at the production the boys were making out of this.

Slowly, the tent flaps parted as a red hat emerged, though it seemed to be a lot lower than it should be for Jiro, unless he was bending over more than necessary to exit. Another couple of seconds brought the hat completely out into the open, along with Jiro's red coat dragging on the sand because Matt just wasn't as tall as the Silver Blade.

Scott and Damian burst out laughing and the girls followed. Mimiko just shook her head while Matt paraded around like some kind of model, flapping the long sleeves around like a bird. "What do you think," he asked as he struck a pose.

"I think it's too big for you," Karri finally commented. Lucienne was laughing too hard to say anything.

Zelman rolled his eyes as he watched the Red Bloods' antics. They could be so amusing, but they could also be just down right ridiculous. But he appreciated the joke, non-the-less, even though it wasn't exactly the best, in his opinion. But it did change the mood and that was what really mattered, he supposed. At least he wasn't entirely bored.

While everyone was still cracking up, or recovering, over Matt's little debut, Jiro slipped out of the tent, with James behind him. He walked over to where Mimiko was standing, going as quietly as only a vampire can, until he was standing by her side. "Quite the rowdy bunch, aren't they," he said quietly, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Mimiko whirled around in surprise. "Jiro!" She put a hand to her chest. "Don't do that!" But she smiled slightly to let him know she wasn't really mad at him as she looked at him almost shyly.

Jiro wore a red set of swimming trunks. They reached almost down to his knees, but missed them by several inches, revealing nicely shaped, but thin legs. The compromiser also noticed that his chest, though basically pasty white, had fairly well defined muscles, making her want to trace them with her hands, more in awe than for any other reason. His arms were also pasty in color, looking deceptively slight, but she knew just how strong they really were. She noticed he had taken his gloves off.  
>The Silver Blade noticed her staring and was a bit amused by it. Her expression was full of surprise. "It's not your typical vampire apparel," he commented, "but our new friends were fairly convincing that it was the most appropriate for the occasion."<p>

Zelman walked over, clapping slightly. "My, my," he said with a sly grin. "Who would have thought I'd see the day that the Kin Killer would wear something as exposing as this? My congratulations, Silver Blade. Do you ever wear anything besides red?"

Jiro pursed his lips, slight scowl on his face as he pretended to think about it. "Why should I tell you, Zelman Clock, one who always has been known to wear black and white?"

Mimiko blinked at their conversation, not sure if they were threatening each other or just bantering. Scott solved the problem by throwing the volleyball their direction.

"You going to play or are you guys going to yap all right," Damian called from the makeshift volleyball court. "Let's play!"

Karri hurried over to the court, the others following. "Should we divide up into new teams since we now have another player," she asked.

"Do you even know how to play volleyball," Jiro asked the Crimson-Eyed vampire.

Zelman smiled. "I might ask you the same thing, Silver Blade."

Jiro didn't turn a hair. "I've watched enough that I'm sure I understand the mechanics of the game."

"Shall we test that, Kin Killer?" Zelman smiled mischievously. "You on one team, and myself on the other?"

Karri and Lucienne exchanged glances at the term "kin killer". Perhaps they'd have to ask Mimiko about it later, but now was not the time. Excitement over seeing two vampires fighting it out on the sand was more than enough to grab their attention and keep it. Now to decide who was on whose team.

Scott raised his hand. "Dude, I'll side with the red haired guy." He moved to Zelman's side of the net.

Matt moved closer to Jiro's side. "I'll stick with Mr. Vampire here," he said, knowing perfectly well that Zelman was a vampire as well, but choosing to give the nickname to Jiro instead.

"I would like to request that Mimiko be on my team," Jiro spoke up.

Mimiko blinked a few times. She hadn't exactly expected to be chosen for any team. She almost wondered if Jiro had spoken up so that he could keep a close eye on her and protect her from any further potential dives towards the sand. It was sweet of him but totally not necessary. "I was thinking I could watch you better from the other side of the net," she commented.

Jiro inclined his head. "If that's what you want." He wasn't about to ruin her vacation by telling her what to do, especially not when her life wasn't threatened. And, perhaps, Zelman would keep her out of trouble. He could also keep a better eye on her from across the net as well.

Everyone else teamed up, Sarah and James with Zelman, while Lucienne, Karri, and Damian teamed up with Jiro. Kotaro stayed on the sidelines, building his sand castles and mountains, totally ignoring the older people around him while he moved small sticks around his created city.

"Losing team has to dance around the fire like heathens," Damian suggested as he took the ball, getting ready to serve it over the net. "Everyone agreed?"

Jiro wasn't sure how to respond to that. The idea of dancing around like a heathen was definitely not the most desirable to him. But the others seemed okay with the idea though, and since he was in the minority, he kept his thoughts to himself. Even Mimiko seemed to agree, yet another reason not to say anything.

"Service!"

Damian fired the ball over the net. It headed directly towards Mimiko. She successfully bumped it over to Sarah, who set it for Scott to spike it over the net. Back and forth, the ball flew over the net. Sometimes only the vampires' speed saved both sides from going out. Occasionally, the ball flew out of bounds and a point was scored. The game became more heated as time wore on.

"Fourteen, seven, service!"

Zelman fired the ball over the net, a grin spread across his face as the ball spun, heading directly towards Jiro.

Jiro dove for the ball, bumping it up for his teammates to send back over the net. He didn't mind that he got a mouthful of sand during his efforts as he saw the ball sail back over the net out of the corner of his eye.

"It's coming your way," James warned Mimiko.

The compromiser followed the ball with her eyes, trying to center herself under it send it over to her other teammates. She wasn't centered entirely though. It glanced off her shoulder, but Zelman saved it by diving under it at the last second, sending it back over the net towards Damian.

"Oh no you don't," Damian crowed as he sent it to Lucienne, who set it up for Karri to spike it back over the net.

Scott moved to intercept the ball, sending it to Sarah. Sarah pushed the ball upwards with her fingers. It sailed close to Mimiko.

The girl ran a few paces, then jumped upwards and somewhat forwards. Her open palm slammed into the ball seconds after her jump but her momentum kept her going.

Jiro saw what was happening. And, instead of paying attention to the ball, his eyes focused on Mimiko, knowing she was going down.

"Ah!" Mimiko's outstretched hands suddenly became tangled in the net in front of her as the ball hit the sand on the other side, scoring the final point.

Jiro ignored the groans of his teammates as he rushed towards the net and the tangled compromiser before she could pull it down on herself and everyone else.

Mimiko closed her eyes, ready for the impact against the sand. She knew the poles holding the net were only supported by twenty pounds of cement, something enough force would knock over. But she didn't hit the ground as expected. She opened her eyes, feeling a set of hands around her waist.

Zelman was the first person to catch her eye, holding one of the poles firmly against the ground. She turned her head the other direction to see that Scott and James had grabbed the other pole. Looking down, she saw Jiro holding her from his side of the net.

"You really do manage to attract the most interesting types of trouble," Jiro commented as he held her up.

Kotaro jumped up from his little sand city and ran over. "Mimi! Are you okay?" He looked up at the compromiser as she tried to untangle herself from the net. He thought she looked a bit like a fish caught in a net, like many he'd seen in the Special Zone off the fishing wharfs.

With one last shrug, the net came from and Mimiko smiled a bit ruefully as Jiro set her down on her feet. "Well, that was a little unexpected," she said, shaking only slightly. Pressure marks from the net ran up and down her arms, but, other than that, she wasn't harmed.

"Dude!" Matt said as he ran over with the ball. "That was something else." He handed the ball to the compromiser. "Guess this means we lost."

Damian moved over. "Good game," he said, though he looked a bit down. "Guess you get to see us all dance like heathens now, huh." The idea, however, seemed to perk him up. "All right, Mr. Vampire, let's be good eggs and go!"

Jiro blinked at the term used, but he had to admit that it was probably his fault they'd lost the game. If he'd paid attention to the ball… he shook his head. He wasn't sorry for it, not if it meant he'd saved Mimiko from another nosedive, though the fact that he had to dance around the fire like the others was a bit embarrassing. "Very well," he conceded and headed towards the fire.

Zelman walked over, grinning. "Well, at least he's not a sore loser," he conceded as he watched Jiro heading over. He ruffled Kotaro's hair.

Kotaro watched his brother. "I want to dance around the fire too," he said, glancing up at Mimiko. "Want to join me?"

The girl took a step back. "Oh well, Jiro was on the losing team, and that was the deal. I don't know…." She looked uncertain.

Karri and Lucienne had already joined the boys and were dancing around the fire, bending over and throwing sand into the air. Clearly their inhibitions didn't keep them from acting like a bunch of kids.

Kotaro grabbed her wrist. "Come on, Mimi. It could be fun!" He looked up at her with playful eyes. "Besides, I'm sure brother wouldn't mind the company."

Zelman shrugged. "Might as well. It won't hurt you." He looked around to see what the others were doing.

James and Scott had headed back towards the tents, pulling coolers towards the bonfire. Sarah was carrying a handful of long, metal skewers.

Mimiko glanced around as well. Everyone seemed to be doing something, except for her and the two Black Bloods around her. No doubt Zelman would just watch and laugh. Well, it wouldn't be the first time he'd laughed at her, and probably wouldn't be the last. She sighed. "All right, Kotaro. Let's go."

She took the young vampire's hand and went over to join the dancing Americans and Jiro, who seemed to be moving a bit uncertainly around the blaze. She smiled as she stepped into the circle next to him, the heat of the flames against her skin. She tried to imitate the people around her, throwing her hands up into the air and twirling around, amused when Jiro did the same. Kotaro didn't need to imitate as he did his own little dance, as only young children do.

Scott threw open one of the coolers, taking out various bowls of pre-cut vegetables and meat. "Hey, you heathens," he called out to the dancers, "time for some grub! It's skewer time!"

Lucienne and Karri were the first to break off from the group, heading over to spear the prepared cubes of food onto their roasting sticks. The others followed, Jiro and Mimiko the last in the group as everyone grabbed for the metal rods and loaded them with fruits, vegetables and raw meat to roast over the fire. There was even a stick for Zelman.

Kotaro poked his stick as close to the fire as he could. His face glowed red from the heat while everyone else kept a bit more moderate distance from the flames. With the bonfire as large as it was, the heat traveled out a ways, and quite hot.

"Don't get too close to the fire," Jiro warned his younger brother.

"I won't!" Kotaro didn't move further back. Instead, he edged a couple inches closer.

Matt gave a happy sigh as he bit into a carrot from his stick. "This is the life. Food. Fire. Stars at night. Women…." Lucienne gave him a dirty look. "Good friends…."

"And vampires," Scott added. "Can't forget the vampires!"

Everyone laughed, their mood totally relaxed as their food cooked over the bonfire. It was indeed a peaceful evening, even though there was one more guest than they'd originally planned on having.

Jiro leaned against a convenient rock, looking out into the night sky. It was getting late and it surprised him that the Red Bloods were still quite alert. He guessed it was well after midnight now. "So, what are the plans for tomorrow," he asked casually. He figured it would be better to be forewarned than be totally surprised. Even though he knew they were on vacation, he still had to stay alert in case something happened.

Karri and Damian glanced at each other. "Well," Karri hesitated; especially knowing how worried Jiro had been when they'd taken Mimiko to look at guns back in town. "We were thinking we'd go out to a little area we all know and practice our skills."

Zelman's eyes sparkled at the idea. "Sounds rather interesting. Mind if I continue to tag along?"

Lucienne shrugged. "Doesn't bother me."

"What kind of skills," Jiro persisted. He didn't like how they'd sidestepped the whole point by not saying exactly what they were doing.

Scott winked at Matt before answering. "Well, you see, we brought some rather long items that are currently in the back of the van, which we will be using after the sun rises sometime, to um…. Hit things with."

Kotaro's curiosity was piqued and he moved over to hear better what was being said. "What are we going to hit?" Excitement was beginning to bubble up inside him.

Sarah shook her head with a sigh. Why did they always have to be so sneaky? It wasn't like they were going to do anything illegal. "Hopefully, we'll be hitting targets," she said dryly. "Though I really don't think you'll be allowed to shoot at any."

Kotaro's face fell. "Ah… that's not fair." He went back to his spot where he poked the fire with his stick.

Jiro sat up. "Don't tell me you intend to go shooting guns."

James shrugged. "Well, yeah," he replied. "There's a shooting range not too far from here, totally outdoors. Hardly anyone uses it so there shouldn't be anyone around to bother us."

Jiro groaned. "I was afraid of that." He glanced over at Mimiko. Would she want to try her hand at shooting a gun? Probably. The idea didn't exactly make him feel comfortable, but, thankfully, they weren't going to allow Kotaro to join in. At least that's what it sounded like.

Mimiko yawned, then tried to stifle it with one hand. "Sorry guys," she apologized. "Guess jet lag is still catching up to me. I think I'm going to turn in."

Karri also excused herself, followed by Sarah and Lucienne. Soon, only the boys remained by the bonfire, watching the flames.

Jiro turned to face Zelman, who was facing the fire, apparently in deep thought. "Zelman, I want to know why you decided to come all this way."

Zelman sighed slightly as he turned his face from the fire. "You know, Silver Blade, for a supposed Old Blood, you certainly are very nosy. Reminds me of a young brat."

Jiro eyed him suspiciously. Did the Crimson-Eyed Zelman have something to hide or was he just refusing to answer merely to annoy him? He stood abruptly. "I think I'll be turning in as well. Good night everyone." He headed towards the boys' tent and ducked inside, Zelman chuckling after him.


	6. Chapter 6: Shotguns and Rollerskates

**Chapter Six: Shot guns and Roller Skates**

Mimiko rolled over with a groan. Light shown in through the thin walls of the tent and she threw one hand over her eyes to try and keep it out, but it had done her job and she was waking up. "What time is it," she groaned, wishing there was an actual roof over her head.

Lucienne rolled over to find her watch. She squinted at the numbers. "Eight." She put the watch down and rolled back over. "Way too early to be up."

Suddenly, clanging sounds came from outside.

"Rise and shine! Time to be up! Breakfast's cooking! Or should I say lunch?"

The whole tent full of girls groaned and pillows were thrown, even though they didn't make it past the zipped up door. "It's too early!"

The clanging got closer as one of the boys banged a skillet with a wooden spoon. "Up and at em or we'll eat all the eggs and you won't get any!"

Karri groaned. "We're coming. We're coming. Greedy people!"

It took another ten minutes for the girls to tumble out of their tent, by which time the boys already had brunch pretty much ready. The sun was almost mid-sky as they came over. It didn't take long for the eggs, bacon, hash browns, and sausage to be devoured.

Karri glanced over at the tents. "All right, who wants to wash dishes and who wants to help take down tents," she asked, taking charge.

Zelman raised his hand to volunteer for dishes. Water didn't really bother him. Jiro volunteered to help with tents, as did the other boys. The girls helped pick everything up, Kotaro aiding Zelman.

Jiro had to hide under the shade of the van after only a few minutes as the sun beat down on him. Mimiko took pity on him and handed over his umbrella as he tried not to melt against the van.

"Hey, you weren't kidding when you said the sun wasn't good for you," Damian commented as he saw the little whiffs of steam coming off the vampire. He wondered how water would affect the Black Blood.

* * *

><p>An hour later found the group on the road again, heading a bit north to a makeshift firing range. It certainly wasn't like any Jiro had seen before, not indoors, and only mounds of dirt separating each lane, with random signs and posts set at different intervals for targets.<p>

To be nice, the girls set up one of the tents so that Jiro didn't have to hide in the van to stay out of the sun but still be able to keep an eye on things while everyone else took out a couple .22's and shotguns.

Mimiko watched the guys handle the guns with ease. She found it absolutely amazing how familiar they were with the weapons, making sure they were ready for firing, loading the ammunition, while the other girls went to set up their own targets.

Zelman stood, leaning against the van as he lit a cigarette. Kotaro zoomed around, being sure to keep clear of the guns. Jiro had already given him a stern warning to stay clear of them.

Scott set up a small card table, where'd put the guns they'd been loading, along with an assortment of earplugs and noise canceling headphones. "Okay, we're all ready here. Everyone, make sure you grab a set of earplugs. These suckers get loud. Pick a partner while you're at it."

Zelman smirked as he tossed his half smoked cigarette and made it evaporate with a snap of his fingers. "I could show you loud."

Mimiko and the girls, however, took Scott's advice and picked up earplugs. They didn't entirely cancel out all noise, but Mimiko hoped they'd helped. Kotaro grabbed for a set of earplugs as well, but Mimiko had to help him put them in.

With everyone ready, Scott and the others paired off, with Zelman standing off on his own and Kotaro just watching from a safe distance. Mimiko was paired with James, leaving Jiro also on his own.

"Please be careful, Mimiko," Jiro implored. He'd really rather not have to rush her off to some hospital because she'd shot herself. Of course, he'd likely have to do the same for anyone else who got shot. And he wasn't sure how much he really trusted Zelman not to take advantage of the situation.

Mimiko smirked. "What, Jiro? Don't think I can handle a little riffle?" But when James handed her the gun, she was a little more nervous than she'd planned on being. It was a dangerous weapon and she was being entrusted with it.

Jiro sighed. Well, it wasn't like he could control what she did. It wouldn't be fair if he tried.

"Bang!" Kotaro yelled as he pretended to fire a gun into the air, then laughed.

Zelman smiled at the young Sage's actions, sticking his hands in his pockets as he watched the various "couples" as they began taking turns.

James was giving Mimiko a few instructions before he took the safety off the gun he'd given her, giving her pointers on aiming and what to do if the gun 'kicked back' on her. He was fairly patient with her, though, which Jiro thought was probably a very good thing. He was ready to step in if it became necessary.

After some more instruction, Mimiko aimed her first shot, and aside from a little kick back from the gun, felt that she did rather well, even if she only nicked the side of the target. James praised her and Jiro did the same. Zelman chuckled to himself as he watched.

After a while, Kotaro decided he'd try to get closer to the action and began sneaking his way closer to the line of shooters. Jiro's attention was diverted by Mimiko's improved aim and he didn't see Kotaro coming up on the group next to where he stood until the table suddenly fell over, knocking Lucienne's aim off.

"Look out!" Lucienne yelled.

Jumping into action, Jiro used the Hide Hand technique to stop the bullet that was now headed towards the other side of the firing line where Karri and Scott were shooting. Karri turned in time to see the bullet stop a foot away from her. Jiro let out a sigh of relief as he sent the bullet harmlessly to the ground, then turned to Kotaro to chew him out. "Never, ever do that again!"

Lucienne shoved her gun into Damian's hands and ran towards her friend. "Karri! Are you okay?"

Karri blinked a few times. "That was…. Close," she finally managed to say, her own gun grasped tightly in her hands.

Scott blinked a few times, unable to come up with anything to say, but he quickly recovered himself. "Here," he said, holding his hand out for Karri's gun.

Mimiko ran over to where Jiro was chewing Kotaro out. She was just glad he'd refrained from using the Hide Hand to throw him around like she'd seen him do before. She wasn't sure she could explain that one to her friends. "Is everyone okay?"

Zelman lit a cigarette as he walked over, his face full of amusement. "Well, I suppose the temptation was too much for him. Not unexpected." He took the young Black Blood by the shoulders. "Kotaro, why don't you come with me and we'll find a place a little further away to play where you won't get into trouble."

Jiro looked like he wanted to protest this arrangement very much, but Mimiko put a restraining hand on his chest. "As long as they stay within eyesight, it should be fine, right? He won't do anything to him. You know that."

The older Black Blood sighed. She had a point. Zelman wasn't interested in hurting his brother, but he still didn't like it, and he was still upset that he'd endangered Mimiko's friends.

Karri glanced over at the two quietly arguing. Brushing Lucienne's hands away, she walked over. "Thanks for keeping us safe," she said. "I think, though, that we'd probably call it good with the shooting practice. I'm still a little shaken by everything and I'm sure everyone else is.

The others walked over, removing earplugs, their guns put down. "Everything okay," James inquired as he looked around. He hadn't seen what had happened but was quickly filled in, along with the others who had missed the events. They all agreed that it was probably time to put the guns up.

Kotaro hedged hesitantly back into the group, Zelman following behind him. "Uh, I'm really sorry!" He bowed very low in front of them all. "I just wanted to see what was going on. I didn't to make things messed up!"

Mimiko ruffled his hair. "It's okay, Kotaro. I think we're all done for the day though, so what should we do for the rest of the day? We only have two days left until we head back," she reminded.

Zelman stepped forward. "Well, that's hardly fun," he commented. "Guess we'd better make the most of them, won't we?"

Jiro's eyes widened slightly. "Surely you're not planning on staying with us."

Zelman smiled. "And why not? It's why I came out here in the first place. It's boring back home."

The boys exchanged glances, and then got together, quietly discussing things while Jiro and Zelman had a stare down. Damien broke in between their staring contest a few minutes later. "Hey, we've come up with an idea, but it means the camping is done because we'll have to go back into town."

Lucienne suddenly got excited. "You don't mean that, do you? That was would be so awesome!"

Mimiko glanced from Damien to Lucienne, to the faces of the other grinning boys. "What are you talking about?"

James grinned. "How do you feel about skating?"

* * *

><p>Mimiko held firmly to the wall that separated the skating area from the rest of the roller rink. She'd had no idea that skating on roller skates could be this hard. She's already had numerous bumps and bruises from falling or crashing into other people, and was only glad that there weren't too many others, outside their group, in the rink.<p>

Zelman whizzed by, his expression amused. "Keep at it," he advised. "In another hundred years, you might be up to par with me!"

Grumbling to herself, Mimiko pushed off from the wall and attempted to catch up with him, arms flailing as she tried to keep her balance and not twist an ankle from the unaccustomed weight of the skates on her feet.

All around the rink, her friends were skating around, some holding hands as they went round and around the giant oval. They were laughing, clearly having a great time. Kotaro was keeping close to the wall as he skated slowly around the rink. Jiro skated without too much difficulty, though he was far from showing off like Zelman was.

Mimiko pushed ahead, despite her handicap and managed to make it halfway around the rink without mishap, but as she rounded an inside corner to head back to the other side of the rink, her skates somehow got tangled and she flailed, trying not to end up in either the splits or on her backside. "Whoa!"

Zelman zoomed in and swooped her off her feet without so much as missing a beat. He grinned down at her as she looked back up at him in shock. "Very interesting style there, Compromiser."

Realizing she was in the Black Blood's arm, she tried to get down, but he wasn't having any of that, and laughed at her attempts, not even offering to fall as her maneuvers tried to put him off balance but failed. "Put me down!"

He continued to grin at her, though he watched where he was going at the same time, skating without any effort. "And what if I don't want to? I'm enjoying this way too much, reminds me of an incident a few months ago when I carried you to the hospital in a similar manner. Of course, this time there hopefully won't be any trips the emergency room."

Mimiko decided to stop struggling. Instead, she crossed her arms as best she could, given the circumstances, and glared at him. "Zelman Clock, you put me down and you put me down now!"

He raised his eyebrows at her. "But if I did that, you'd fall and hurt yourself, probably ending up with several skid burns on top of that. I don't think Jiro would forgive me if that happened. Do you?"

Mimiko tried not to growl. "That's not the point! Just put me down! This is embarrassing! Everyone's watching!" Her cheeks burned red.

Zelman glanced around the floor. Several people were indeed watching them with interest, not that he really cared, but apparently she did. "But I don't want to let you go just yet," he smiled. "How about a compromise, Compromiser?"

Mimiko figured she wasn't in a place to really refuse. "What's your compromise?"

Without so much as slowing down, he set her back on her feet, his arms around her waist as he propelled them forward, knowing that Jiro was watching from the other side of the rink, and was probably glowering. "This."

Mimiko's cheeks flamed red. At least she wasn't wearing a skirt, not that she had any way of knowing what the Black Blood was thinking. "You don't have to hold so tightly!"

Zelman leaned forward a bit, until his head was about even with hers. "But if I loosened my grip, you'd get away," he whispered into her ear.

Mimiko sighed inside, though her face was still flaming. "Isn't that the point," she grouched inwardly.

His light laugh in her ear proved that he at least guessed what she was thinking. "And ruin my fun? Besides, Jiro will be here in a moment anyway. He's already headed over, though I'm sure we can easily outdistance him if necessary." And to prove it, he easily lifter her enough that her skates no longer made contact with the floor, and increased his speed.

Jiro wasn't sure what was going on at first, only seeing Zelman catch Mimiko before she fell. And when he didn't immediately put her down again, he'd wondered if something was wrong, but as Zelman hadn't headed towards the main deck, he hadn't been certain. But now he had his arms around her in a bit too friendly manner. He decided it was time to intervene and increased his speed to catch up to them.

Zelman let out a carefree laugh as he bent forward, making Mimiko do the same. After a moment of consideration, he decided he'd get more speed by moving her to a more comfortable spot, and swung her up onto his back. "Unless you want to fall off and get run over by the skaters behind us, I suggest holding on for dear life."

Lucienne and Karri moved off to one side as they saw Zelman swish by, Mimiko clinging to his back like a spider monkey. They both blinked, then Jiro swept past them as well. "Um… maybe we should get off the floor," Karri suggested to her friend, who agreed, and they made their way to the nearest exit onto the main deck. The boys followed, Damien dragging Kotaro behind him, just to be safe.

Jiro leaned forward to increase his speed. "Zelman, I don't know what game you're playing at, but you'd better stop."

Zelman only laughed. "Why? I'm having so much fun! Aren't you having fun, Silver Blade?"

Mimiko would have made some retort about Zelman's comment but she was holding on for dear life, her arms firmly squeezing around his neck, legs locked securely around his waist. She was really very glad she was wearing jeans and not a skirt. "I think I'm going to be sick," she commented to herself, not expecting Zelman to really care, and closed her eyes against the blur of speed.

Jiro felt for his sword, and then remembered that he'd had to leave it behind in the Special Zone, as part of the stipulations Mimiko and Jinnai had set for the vacation. "Zelman, I'm warning you!"

Zelman pretended not to hear. "Let's race, Silver Blade!" He put on a new burst of speed.

The stragglers on the floor quickly moved to get off and onto the main deck as they watched the two Black Bloods race around the oval. It didn't seem to bother the red head that he had the added weight of another person on his back and they weren't sure if they should cheer him on or the one in the black shirt and red pants.

Jiro growled. "Don't you dare!" He went after the older Black Blood, seeming to fly across the floor, deciding to skip the circular path they'd been using around the oval, and went to cut across the rink to cut him off.

But Zelman saw the tactic and decided he could play that game just as easily. "If it's cat and mouse you want, then that's what you'll get! Mimiko's the mouse!" He grinned widely enough that his fangs flashed in the low lighting as the music played in the background. The DJ put on a fast paced techno song. "Catch us if you can!"

Lucienne, Sarah, and Karri watched Jiro's progress with great interest, cheering him on. Seeing that the girls were cheering for the Silver Blade, the boys decided to cheer on Zelman. Kotaro cheered for his brother. "Go get him, brother!"

"Zelman!"

Jiro moved to intercept them again, but Zelman was too quick. He wasn't going to be caught that easily, and sped over to the opposite side of the rink. Jiro charged at them, head on.

Zelman's grin turned mischievous. "Better hold tight!" he warned as the two skaters rushed to meet each other. With a skillful kick of one foot, he launched into the air and vaulted over Jiro's tall frame, landing with only a slight jolt that rattled Mimiko's teeth.

The audience crowed and cheered at the maneuver. Applause erupted from everyone cheering Zelman on. Karri watched anxiously. "Uh, hey, do you think Mimiko's going to be okay?" She and Lucienne exchanged worried glances.

"Can we please stop this," Mimiko tried, desperation in her voice. She was starting to feel really dizzy. It reminded her of the first time she'd resonated with Jiro as she rode Rinsuke's motorcycle. It had been amazing then, that she hadn't gotten sick. It would be even more amazing if she didn't now.

Zelman laughed. "Very well." He glanced at Jiro. "I'm letting her down!" He slowed down dramatically, and then swung her around to face him as he spun around a few times before coming to a complete standstill, holding her up by the shoulders. They'd stopped in the middle of the rink.

Jiro moved quickly to Mimiko's side. "Mimiko, are you all right?"

The crowd applauded and the DJ gave a thumbs up before putting on a more sedate song and everyone returned to the floor.

Mimiko leaned against Jiro's strong shoulder. "Ugh," was all she managed to get out before she grabbed at him in an attempt to keep the skates from sliding out from under her.

Jiro looked at her with sympathy as he helped her off the floor. "Maybe you'd better sit down for a little while. Put her head between your legs if you feel dizzy," he suggested as he led her to one of many booths in the food court area.

She took his advice and leaned forward the moment she'd sat down. "Jiro, please don't let anything like that happen again. I don't know if I could handle a repeat. Not tonight."

Jiro clenched a fist as he knelt at eye level with her. "What was he trying to prove?" he asked himself angrily. He looked out on the floor to see Zelman skating with the rest of the group again, like he didn't have a care in the world. He ground his teeth. "Zelman!"

Mimiko looked up and put out a hand. "Jiro, don't. It's fine. I'm just a little dizzy." She really didn't want a fight to break out, especially not where it wasn't known that vampires still existed, even if the Americans seemed more open to the idea than the Japanese. She groaned slightly and put a hand to her head.

Jiro switched his gaze back to her. "Are you sure? He gave you quite a shock, I'm sure." He looked back at Zelman who was now skating with his hands behind his head like he didn't have a care in the world. His anger boiled back to the surface. "He shouldn't have treated you that way."

Mimiko practiced breathing to calm her stomach so she didn't answer right away.

"You're sure he didn't hurt you?" He looked at her a bit more critically. She seemed unscathed, but it was always possible that her old injuries had been aggravated by Zelman's actions. He remembered her being not quite steady getting off the airplane when they'd first arrived.

Mimiko rubbed at her forehead distractedly. "I'm fine, just a bit dizzy. I'll be back to normal in a minute. Why don't you go skate some more?"

He raised both eyebrows at her. "If you're sure…"

She nodded, and then went back to concentrating on breathing. If she could get that down, the nausea would subside.

Jiro sighed but realized he probably wouldn't get any further with his inquiries and decided to take her advice. He zeroed in on Zelman the moment his skates returned to the rink floor. "What were you trying to pull?" he hissed at the older Black Blood.

Zelman shrugged, his hands in his pockets as he skated. "Who said I was trying to pull anything? We just had a slight disagreement on a compromise. Of course, you made it more amusing by trying to intervene. We would have worked it out on our own if you hadn't." He smirked.

Jiro clenched his fists. "It didn't look like that to me."

"Think what you like," the red haired vampire said as he thrust ahead to mingle in a group of teenagers.

Jiro growled in frustration. "That Zelman!"

"That was pretty awesome," one teenage girl commented as she and her friends passed Jiro. "I mean, it's not every day you see something like that! I wonder if it was a stunt?"

"No way," her friend replied and they both giggled.

Jiro ground his teeth grimly. There was no way he could win over this. Instead, he decided to skate on his own in thought. After all, it wouldn't do to draw more attention.


	7. Chapter 7: Take a Hike!

**Chapter Seven: Take a Hike!**

The sun rose on what was the second to last day of vacation. Mimiko relished sleeping in a bed again, not wanting to get up. Despite her scare the night before, and the bruises from vain attempts to skate, she felt pretty good, if not a little stiff. "Guess I'm not cut out for roughing it," she commented as she recalled the past two days. Civilization had never looked so good. Next time she went on vacation, she'd go for a hotel in some exotic location like Hawaii. She'd heard it was really nice there.

She yawned as she stretched. Two more days. What were they going do to in those two days? And where had Zelman slept for the night? He'd left the group as they'd headed back to the apartment, saying he'd join back up with them in the morning. She still wasn't entirely happy with him for his little stunt, but she could forgive him. After all, she hadn't really gotten sick, just really dizzy.

Someone knocked on her door and she looked at her watch. It was close to nine, local time. She must have been tired. Making sure she was decent by throwing on a robe, she called out, "come in!"

The door opened and Kotaro's curly haired head popped in. "Morning, Mimi!" He bounced into the room, full of energy.

She couldn't help but smile. "And good morning to you, too. Where's Jiro? If you're up, he's bound to be too."

Kotaro came up to the bed and shyly traced patterns on the bedspread with one finger. "Brother's helping cook breakfast this morning. He said something about wanting it to be real special."

Mimiko looked up in surprise. "That's unusual," she commented without thinking. Jiro actually did cook quite a bit back home, but they were on vacation, and he was up and about in such activities already. She hoped he'd forgiven Zelman for his little prank yesterday and that he wasn't just cooking to keep distracted.

Kotaro beamed up at her. "He said that since we only have today and tomorrow left, we might as well do something special. I think he's trying to convince everyone to do something, but he won't tell me what."

She blinked at him. "I wonder what he's up to," she commented, and then looked around. "Looks like I need to get ready. Mind stepping out for a minute while I get dressed?"

Kotaro shook his head as he left the room, closing the door behind him. "I'll be waiting in the front room," he said before the door closed entirely.

Mimiko contemplated her wardrobe, though her thoughts were more on what Jiro had up his sleeve. Finally, she decided on a pair of khaki pants and a matching shirt. After donning them, she left the confines of her room to find only Kotaro waiting for her. "Hey, where is everyone?"

Kotaro sat on the couch, swinging his legs, humming to himself. He looked up when Mimiko came into the room. "Oh, hey Mimi! Everyone's over at the guys' apartment. I told them I'd wait for you and take you over."

"O…kay…" She slowly followed after his energetic form, out into the hallway, and across to the other apartment.

Zelman had already joined them, she noticed as she walked through the door. He was sitting on one of the couches, perfectly at ease, the usual can of coke in one hand. He grinned up at her. "Morning, Compromiser."

Mimiko hesitated for a moment, but entered the room. "Good morning, Zelman Clock. I hope you slept well."

He chuckled. "Of course." He didn't mention that he had a hotel room nearby.

Mimiko looked around to see Jiro in the kitchen, oven mitts on his hands as he reached into the oven to remove something that smelled absolutely wonderful. "Good morning, Jiro," she said.

Matt and Damien were mixing something on the stove top, something that smelled like fruit. Scott was whipping up some cream. James was bending over a waffle iron, checking to see if the waffle that was cooking was done yet.

Lucienne was licking her lips as she came over to Mimiko. "Belgian waffles and baked omelet's," she commented. "Why didn't you tell us that Jiro could cook like this? If I'd known he could motivate the guys like this, I'd have put him on cooking detail all week!"

Mimiko merely smiled. "I think that's what he was trying to avoid."

Kotaro was jumping up and down. "It smells so good! I can't wait!"

Jiro had placed the baked omelet onto the stove top and was removing his mitts. "You'll have to wait just a bit longer," he admonished. "The fruit isn't quite done." He looked into the pot the two boys were stirring. "It just needs to be thickened now," he commented to them and they quickly went to do so.

Karri came into the room, followed by Sara. "So, what's the plan for today?" She looked around the room. "I mean we did kind of leave these days open, right?"

Sarah glanced over at James and smiled. "I believe today was set aside for sight seeing, right?"

James smiled at her. "You bet." Turning to Jiro, he looked a little chagrined. "I think we'd better wait for your plan until tomorrow, more exciting that way."

"Peaches are done!" Damien announced as he moved the hot pan into the counter and James moved a loaded plate of waffles next to it.

"Awesome!" Kotaro jumped up at the chance for food and was the first to get any on his plate.

About an hour later, everyone was loading back into the large van they'd borrowed a few days before. Jiro glanced back wistfully at the apartment, his umbrella shading him from the sun. Zelman smirked as he took a seat in the middle.

This time, they headed north, going towards the Interstate. Driving through desert landscape, they gradually began to climb in altitude, making Mimiko's ears pop. "Where exactly are we going," she asked.

Lucienne looked over at her friend and smiled. "Just wait. It's something like where we camped out, only a lot more awesome."

Kotaro pressed his face against the window at that comment. "Where! Where is it? I wanna see!"

Karri laughed. "You won't see it for a bit yet," she chided gently. "We have at least an hour's drive before we get close."

Kotaro pouted. "Oh. Well that's no fun."

Jiro glanced at his brother with a sigh. "Kotaro," he said in a slightly admonishing tone.

The boy folded his arms and settled back against his seat. "Fine."

Zelman smirked from his seat in the back. He hadn't minded being pushed to the furthest seat from the compromiser either. After all, he wasn't really after her, but it was fun to make Jiro mad.

An hour later found James driving the van up a rather windy mountain road after they'd stopped briefly in a somewhat smaller town at the foot of the mountain.

Scott looked out through the window. "Looks like some clouds heading in," he commented. "Good news for you, right?" He grinned at Jiro.

Jiro chose to take the jibe as more of a friendly banter and smiled in return. "Of course, though one can never be sure of the weather, which is why I will continue to carry my umbrella. I doubt you would like to see the result if I were to be without it in the sun."

The boys protested, very interested in seeing something like that until Mimiko intervened. "I think it's probably better that you don't. And especially not on a really hot day, though it is rather amusing to see him steam, the end result isn't exactly pretty."

Sara blinked at the comment but it was Lucienne who responded. "I take it you saw what happens yourself or you wouldn't say that. Am I right?"

Mimiko smiled with a tighter lip than usual and Zelman laughed.

"I'm sure it was quite a sight, eh Silver Blade?" He chuckled at Jiro's discomfort, as he knew it would cause some reaction.

Jiro sighed. "It is an experience I am not ready to repeat any time soon," he admitted. "Nor, I am sure, would Mimiko."

The conversation would probably have continued if they hadn't come to their destination. The van was parked and everyone got out to see a lot of trees and a small building made from logs and painted a dark brown color with a green roof. But, just as Scott had observed, the sky was clouding over, soon shrouding out the sun.

Kotaro looked around with large eyes. He'd not seen this many trees since he'd been in the Sanctuary with the Dark Princess, and those trees weren't like these. These were more scraggly looking, older, perhaps, though he couldn't be sure about that. "Wow! This is amazing!" He tugged on Mimiko's hand. "Hey, Mimi! Look at those trees!"

Mimiko smiled at his exuberance. "I see them, Kotaro," she said looking around. She wasn't sure if she felt a bit disappointed, though, by the trees and lack of the promised vista. "But where's the canyons?"

Kari and Lucienne exchanged knowing looks. "Don't worry," Kari intoned. "You'll see them soon enough. But first, we have to take a little hike."

Zelman had his hands in his pockets, as usual, as he looked around. It was quite a nice forest, he had to admit, older than most, not as old as some, but giving a sense of age and tranquility that he could appreciate, but also a hint of malice for the unwary. He wondered about wild animals aside from the birds and small creatures he saw.

Despite the clouds, Jiro had his umbrella out and open over his head. He would rather be safe than sorry. "A hike, you say?" He looked around for an opening in the trees or any kind of path, finding several by the log structure. They went in several directions. "Would we be taking one of these paths?" He indicated the paths by the building.

James looked that way and shook his head. "No. There's another one, not quite as well known, but well worth the hike. It follows the rim so I hope no one here minds heights too much."

Mimiko cringed slightly at the idea of heights. It wasn't that she was afraid of them, but she wasn't as comfortable around them as others were, especially great heights where she might fall and be dashed to an untimely end.

Jiro noticed her momentary misgivings. "Don't worry. No one will fall," he assured her. He'd keep an especially close eye just to be safe, though he somehow thought it would be less necessary with their American friends than with his compromiser companion.

Zelman smiled in amusement. This should be interesting, he decided. "Well then, shouldn't we get going? I assume you want to reach our destination before it gets too late in the afternoon."

Matt nodded. "You're right. This way." He started towards the far side of the parking lot where a small meadow reached out from the trees, everyone following.

After walking a while, they began to notice a dirt path in the flowers, not as well maintained as the paths by the lodge, but still quite discernable. It led towards the trees on that far side.

Birds chirps as they walked through the trees. Squirrels ran up and down the branches. The occasional unseen creature rustles in the undergrowth. The companions walked without little comment as they admired the scenery.

Before too long, the trees began to thin a little, the ground to get more rugged, with boulders standing out every now and again. And a few more yards brought them all up short as the ground gave way in front of them to a drop off into a sandstone canyon. The path veered off, turning sharply to run along the rim.

Mimiko stopped and backed up a few steps. "Whoa." Even being a few feet from the edge, she could see that it was quite a fall, and that she would be dashed against all kinds of rock formations of various colors, red, orange, yellow, white, and the variations between, layered down to the last hundred feet where trees grew again.

Kari stood by her side. "They call it Chessman's Canyon. Probably because the various formations look like a chessboard with its chessman set up ready to play a game."

"I wanna see!" Kotaro bounced forward and was saved from going over the cliff by Jiro pulling him back by the collar. Mimiko gasped.

He looked down at the young vampire with a slightly stern expression. "Don't be in such a hurry. We've plenty of time to look. Now apologize to everyone for the fright."

Kotaro blinked up at him but nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"Now don't do anything so reckless again," Jiro admonished with a bit of a sigh. His brother was such a trial sometimes.

Kotaro beamed. "Kay! I won't! Promise!"

Zelman chuckled at the whole spectacle. He found it highly amusing but refrained from commenting; knowing that would likely make the other Black Blood mad, and they didn't need that. "Shall we continue?" he asked instead, all amusement.

Everyone agreed to that idea and continued on the path, admiring the changing view of the Chessman's Canyon. Sunlight filtered through the clouds, casting rays of brilliant light on the various "pieces" down below, causing interesting effects that heightened the colors. But, before too long, they plunged back into the trees and away from the canyon's edge, much to Mimiko's relief. It was pretty, to be sure, but she was glad to not have the fear of falling off the edge anymore.

"So, where exactly does this path lead," she finally inquired after they'd been walking for about an hour and still hadn't reached their destination. They'd stopped to rest and she enjoyed leaning back against a very large tree trunk.

The boys exchanged glances. This had been one of Scott's ideas so he was pushed forward to answer. "We like to call it the Greensward, though I don't think any of us really know if it has an official name, but when you see it, I'm sure you won't mind the hike."

Zelman chuckled as the compromiser complained. Red Bloods were so amusing sometimes. Though he supposed he couldn't entirely blame her. After all, they didn't exactly have a lot of this kind of land in the Special Zone and she wasn't used to hiking, he was sure.

Kotaro was happily munching on some trail mix Sarah had given him, his legs dangling from the log he was sitting on. He was all smiles as he looked around. "This is so awesome!"

Jiro glanced at his brother. As usual, his expression was unreadable. Mimiko's friends' idea of vacation was certainly not the same as others he knew, but Mimiko was bearing up with it, and no one had come to any harm yet. Although this hike might completely do the compromiser in, he mused.

Mimiko took in a deep breath. "Okay, ready to go again," she said and pushed away from her tree.

Matt smiled. "That's the spirit! Not too much further now."

Another half hour brought them to their destination. Mimiko had to blink several times to make sure she hadn't stepped into a dream. She half expected little fairy creatures to dance out onto the pristine open water before her. And it stretched for a good distance, half a kilometer or more, she was sure.

The trees were covered in soft moss and rich green algae waved gently under the water. Fish could easily be seen swimming under the surface, with rich browns and reds of the lake's bottom shining up through the filtered sunlight like something out of a dream. Even Jiro was surprised.

Zelman whistled. "Quite the sight. Not something you see every day," he commented as he stared out over the elfin landscape. It could easily make anyone believe in the existence of woodland creatures that were otherworldly, like gnomes and elves.

Kotaro rubbed his eyes to be sure he wasn't seeing things. "This is amazing!" he declared. "Brother! Look at that! There's even ducks out on the water!"

Jiro looked in the direction his brother pointed and saw a mother duck with her ducklings swimming lazily towards a small hillock of land out on the water. "It surprises me a bit," he admitted, "that more people don't know about this place." He had not missed that they were the only ones there, nor could he catch the scent of many other Red Bloods in the area. And those scents that didn't belong to their party were quite old.

Matt smiled as he watched everyone's reactions. "I used to work as a forest ranger during the summer," he admitted. "There are some trails that are kept secret more than others. They didn't exactly want this area to become over crowded and ruined by too many people."

"I can see why," Mimiko said in awe as she stared around her. "It's incredible, like something out of a movie." She carefully moved forward, brushing by a strand of wild columbine flowers that were brilliantly white against their vibrant green leaves.

The tall trees shaded them perfectly from above, even though the sun had peeked out from behind the clouds, allowing a brief look at the blue sky beyond the clouds.

Scott went off with Damian to explore while the others found convenient stumps to sit on and admire the scenery. Zelman, after standing around a little, decided to join them in their explorations.

Mimiko let out a soft sigh. "One more day," she said quietly to herself.

Jiro glanced at her curiously. He wasn't entirely sure how to take her comment. Was she sad that things were ending or glad? Her tone had certainly hinted that it could be either emotion. But she did look tired today, even if it was a peaceful tired. Vacations, he'd heard, could be just as stressful as every day life, though he hoped that had not been the case, even if they had practically run from one adventure to another.

Kotaro stared at them for a little bit, dangling his legs from his stump, swinging them. He suddenly jumped up from his perch. "I'm going to go off with the others," he said and Jiro barely acknowledged him, so deep in thought he was about his companion, but the boy didn't notice that and ran after Zelman and the others. Matt went with him.

Karri stared out over the green tinted water, then glanced briefly at her foreign friend. "It's been so nice having you here," she commented. "We should do this more often."

Mimiko smiled. "Maybe, next time, we can just slip away with only the girls." She was only half joking, but having the guys around did make things a lot more interesting and she'd really wanted to just relax. She leaned back against the tree nearest her and closed her eyes to soak up what little sun was left from the cloudy sky above. "But it's been nice."

Above them, the sky darkened as the clouds rolled towards them. Lightning suddenly flashed across the sky, slicing the heavens. No more than five seconds later, thunder rolled through the canyon, causing Mimiko to jump.

Jiro looked up at the sky. "Something tells me it might be a good idea to return to the car," he said. The clear space had covered over with dark gray clouds.

Lucienne looked in the direction everyone else had disappeared. "I don't' know how far they went," she confessed.

Sara, who had remained pretty quiet, stood up with James. "We'll go find them," she said and the two went off to locate them.

The remaining four waited for them to return as the wind began to pick up, making the trees dance. Jiro held his umbrella high to try and shield them. "I think it's going to rain," he commented, not really thrilled with the idea. They had a bit of a hike back to the car, and though the trees would supply some semblance of shelter from any precipitation, it would not be a complete one.

Karri looked around, and then pointed. "I see them! They're on the other side!"

Across from them, on the other side of the now troubled lake, the others could be clearly seen. Matt waved at them and put his hands to his mouth, trying to shout something at them but it was lost as the breeze picked up.

Mimiko glanced up at Jiro. "Can you tell what he's saying?"

Jiro leaned forward, trying to hear above the wind and rippling water, but it was useless. "No. We'll have to wait," he decided.

Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, Zelman appeared, some leaves in his red hair. "They say it looks like a real storm's coming," he grinned. "Apparently we need to leave the area quickly. They'll take an alternate route back and meet us up at the top. Our guide also says to watch out for potential flash floods as they aren't uncommon."

Mimiko groaned. "Great. That's the last thing we need." She glanced over at Jiro. "Will you be okay, if it rains, I mean?"

Jiro's lips formed a thin line. "I'd rather not find out," he admitted. "We'd better hurry."

Lucienne took the lead, since she was more sure of it than everyone else, though either of the vampires could have easily done so and followed their scent trail, but Jiro didn't because he wanted to keep an eye on Mimiko, and Zelman didn't because he frankly didn't care.

Kari went after Jiro and Mimiko, leaving her in front of Zelman who had chosen to take up the rear. "It's a good thing we're in the trees now," she commented. "I'm willing to bet that it's windy enough to throw someone off the mountain higher up."

Jiro glanced back at her. "Then we'll have to be all the more careful when we reach the top." He paused long enough to help Mimiko over a log, then continued, keeping an ear out behind him, and above, for the sound of rain.

Kotaro scrambled through the underbrush, right behind Matt and Damian. "Hey, um, are you sure it's okay not to go back with Mimi and the others?"

Matt looked back. " It should be okay. They've got Kari and Lucienne. Besides, aren't there vampires there? They should be able to find their way back without any trouble."

Kotaro pouted. "True, but that's not what I'm worried about." He continued after them, listening to the wind in the treetops as they started striking more uphill. After all, Mimi was fragile, and so were the other two humans, and his brother didn't like the rain.

James came up behind him with Sara and ruffled his hair. "Don't worry. I'm sure they'll be fine. The girls can take care of themselves, and I'm pretty sure your friends can too. We'll meet them at the top without any problem. You'll see."

The wind had definitely picked up more, Mimiko noted as they continued to trudge on. Her feet were starting to throb with the unaccustomed exercise. They were trying to make a quick pace of things. The dark clouds that they occasionally caught glimpses of through the trees were growing quite dark. And if that wasn't indication enough of what was to come, the light had decreased significantly.

Zelman raised one hand to his eyes and peered upwards. "It looks like it will be quite the storm," he commented, a hint of delight in his eyes. He then looked at Jiro, who had stopped so that Mimiko and Kari could catch up. "You sure you'll be okay in that?"

Jiro gave Kari a hand up the steep incline, then Mimiko. "I'm not going to worry about that just yet," he replied. "Regardless of what happens, it should be our priority to get these Red Bloods to safety before the storm breaks, or as close to it as possible."

Zelman shrugged. "Guess you're right. Well, break's over. Let's move!"

Kotaro felt the first drop of rain hit his hand as he reached for a steadying branch. He looked up and another couple splattered across his face. "Uh oh," he said. "Maybe we'd better hurry."

Matt looked around, checking for signs of potential problems. " You're right," he replied. "Come on guys, let's get a move on before this storm really breaks."

The larger group picked up their pace, James continually assisting Sara as they went around boulders, trees, and other obstacles. Their route was possibly the more difficult, but it would also be the most sheltered when it came to the ridge.

Mimiko was sure she'd worn a blister into the balls of both her feet, but with rain starting to fall, she wasn't about to complain. At least, for the moment, the rain wasn't heavy, and was mostly deflected by the leaves above, but she thought she recognized the scenery, and if she remembered correctly, they would soon be leaving the safety of the trees and be out on the ridge where they'd viewed down into the Chessman's area. That also meant they weren't too far from the car, but that was open ground.

Lightning flashed across the sky in a jagged bolt of blue energy. The wind blew more strongly through the sparse trees, causing even Jiro and Zelman to have some difficulty standing up right. Jiro had the extra disadvantage of trying to keep his umbrella under hand. He'd closed it to try and keep the wind from grabbing it, even though that would leave him more exposed to the falling moisture.

"Almost there!" Matt called back to the group as the wind blew at them down the narrow canyon they were forced to climb. "Cross your fingers that we don't catch a flood!"

The rain pelted down on them, lashing at them like it wanted to leave bruises from its passage. Their route had taken them around to the other side, and though it didn't skirt the ridge as closely, the small canyons they went through made it more dangerous because of flooding problems, not to mention that the rocks were getting slick from the rain.

Kotaro placed a foot on a natural stair and slipped. Damien caught him from behind before he could really get moving though. "Thanks," he piped gratefully to the older boy.

Damien made sure he was set firmly on the rocks again before moving on. "Just keep your eyes on what's ahead, okay?"

Matt pushed against the wind at a slight bend of the canyon. "Only a few more meters," he called back to everyone behind. "Then we'll be free of this and back on top! Watch your step now!"

A couple more minutes found them free of the little canyon stretch and out on more flat terrain, the top of the path. They would be heading a bit downhill from there on. Below them, a rumbling sound filled the air. Kotaro's eyes got large as he listened. "What's that?"

James glanced briefly down the canyon. "Sounds like a flash flood," he said casually. "Come on, before the wind tried to push us towards the cliffs." He trudged forward, the others following, now almost soaked.

Jiro grit his teeth as the rain lashed at him, steam coming off his exposed skin, though it was almost as quickly blown away by the wind, but once they had come out into the open, the rain continued pelting down and he was soon soaked.

Lucienne paused for breath, and to give everyone a chance to regroup before they followed the path close to the ridge. "You weren't kidding about the steam, were you," she commented to Mimiko as she stared at the steaming vampire.

Mimiko pushed her hair from her face, only to have it whipped back by the wind. "No, I wasn't. And trust me, it's not a good thing to have happen. He'll probably be really tired tonight." She wondered if he'd need blood but decided not to mention anything about it.

"Everyone here," Zelman inquired, though he already knew the answer. The rain didn't really bother him, but the wind wasn't helping at all. He was glad his beanie wasn't the type that could easily get away. "Silver Blade, I hope you brought a change of clothes," he joked.

Jiro rolled his eyes. "Not amused," he replied. The wind tried to whip away his hat but he quickly caught it before it could go more than a foot away. "We'd best get back before this storm gets any worse," he commented, noting that the clouds were far from done with their activities.

Another streak of lightning flashed across the sky and thunder rolled across the canyon like a bass drum. Mimiko's teeth chattered. "I agree." She hadn't brought a jacket, thinking the weather wouldn't be a problem.

Lucienne pushed forward. "Stay as low as possible so that you don't get blown over," she advised. "And lean towards the inside of the ridge!"

Kari moved ahead to hike next to Lucienne and the two pushed forward against the wind, staying low and towards the inside. It was a dangerous fifty meters to cross with the weather conditions as they were, but they were accustomed to such and trudged steadily onward.

Jiro moved forward, trying to shelter Mimiko from the wind, one hand on his hat, while Zelman sauntered behind. A trail of steam followed them, blown away by the wind. The sky was vastly dark now and each lightning strike lit up the landscape almost eerily.

"It's amazing how quickly the weather changes, isn't it," Zelman commented as he leaned against the wind.

Mimiko felt her feet sliding, but before she could do anything more than let out an exclamation of surprise, Zelman was behind her, holding her firmly down and away from the edge. "Do be careful, compromiser," he laughed. "I'd hate to think what our Silver Blade would do if you were to fall off."

Mimiko shakily nodded her thanks and moved on, as glad as everyone else to make it to the meadow section of the path.

Jiro, despite being in pain from the weather, turned to her. "Are you all right?"

Mimiko nodded. "But we need to get you out of this." She glanced over to where the lodge was, biting her lip. There were probably other humans inside, humans who would probably freak out if they saw Jiro like this. "Guess we'll have to settle for the van for now," she sighed.

Zelman nodded his agreement. "While it is likely someone would notice your uh… current condition," he grinned, "it's less likely they'd notice it from the windows of the car. The rest of us can go inside while we wait out the storm."

Jiro gave the older Black Blood a disproving look at his tone.

Mimiko stopped walking to plant her hands on her hips and glare at the red-eyed vampire. "If he's going to be stuck in the van, so am I!"

Jiro sighed. "No, Mimiko. He's probably right. Besides, until my clothes dry out, there will be a lot of steam and I'd rather you weren't subjected to that." Already, his skin was disintegrating, and though she'd seen him as a skeleton before, he didn't want to put her through that again.

Mimiko looked at him through the rain. Right now, it wasn't as noticeable, but… She sighed. "Fine."

Kotaro shielded his face from the lashing rain, leaning over as far as he could do so safely.

Matt let out a cheerful bout of encouragement. "Look! See those trees ahead? The lodge is just on the other side! We should be there in a matter of minutes! Let's go!"

Damien and James moved around Kotaro, Damien picking up the boy. "Up you go!" They trudged on towards the area Matt had indicated, pushing against the wind. They broke through the trees on the back part of the lodge, points of light shining out from the windows. Sara walked beside James.

"In we go!" Damien said as they walked around to where the doors were. He was about to push them open when he paused, looking to one side. "Hey! Look who made it!" He waved to the other group of hikers, Kotaro still in his arms.

Lucienne and Kari quickly moved forward. "Hi! Glad you made it!"

Kotaro blinked. "Where's brother?"

Mimiko moved forward. "It's okay, Kotaro. He's waiting in the van. We all decided it would be better that way."

Zelman winked at the young boy as he shouldered past and into the lodge, the others followed, water dripping from everyone.

The forest ranger in charge of the station looked up in surprise as they entered. "What are you guys doing here in a storm like that?"

Matt moved forward. "Hey Dave! We got caught out at the lake and just made it back up."

Dave looked at them like they were crazy. "You were down there?" He shook his head at the thought. "You should know better!"

Matt shrugged. "Hey, the weather man said it'd be perfect today. Who were we to argue?"

Dave sighed. "All right, though you, of all people, should know how unpredictable the weather is in the mountains!" He turned back to his radio, which he'd been fiddling with when they'd arrived. "Report is the storm should blow over in about another hour. I wouldn't even try going back down the mountain until then."

Matt smiled. "We wouldn't dream of it."


	8. Chapter 8: Rain and Temptation

**Chapter Eight: Rain and Temptation**

The rain continued to pour down, pelting against the windows while the group waited. Out in the van, Jiro had taken off his coat in hopes of drying off faster, but the steam still continued to issue from his body despite his best efforts. He winced at the pain it caused him. He didn't dare try turning the van on, even though he knew there was a heater. He still wasn't very good with modern gadgets and was afraid he'd manage to break something and leave them stranded so he endured without.

He felt the desire to feed rising up in him as he fought against the pain, wrapping his arms around his chest, his heavy coat discarded on the floor. He hoped that would help his other clothes dry out faster, but in such cramped quarters, and rain thick outside, the chances were less than likely.

He grit his teeth, one fang grazing his lip. A small trail of blood trickled down his chin, but he didn't notice. He would not give in to the more base nature of the vampire; the desire to feed on anything living that could come near him. He had to get that part under control before the rain let up and the others rejoined him.

* * *

><p>Inside the cabin, Mimiko and the others shivered, watching the rain on the glass windows while Dave listened to the radio for news of the storm.<p>

"I hope he's okay," Kotaro said, his bottom lip trembling as he stared out towards where the van was, though the rain was coming down too hard to see it.

Zelman put a hand on the young Black Blood's shoulder. "Someone like the Kin Killer wouldn't be put out by a little rain storm. He's probably enjoying the time alone." He smiled, showing a slight hint of his fangs.

Mimiko rolled her eyes. From what she'd seen, he was probably actually not doing so well. She kind of wished she dared go out there to keep him company but no one seemed to have an umbrella handy, or if they did, they weren't bringing it out. But the older vampire's words did seem to calm Kotaro down so she was at least somewhat mollified.

Matt walked back over to Dave to listen into the weather report as well. The radio crackled with static as the announcer's voice came over the frequency. "Rain expected….. thunderstorms….continuing throughout…." The storm kept interfering with the signal, leaving a lot of static.

James sighed. "Sounds like we're going to be stuck here for a while," he commented and squeezed Sarah's hand.

Damian looked around at the rather bedraggled group. "I vote we head down as soon as it looks like it's lightening up. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not be caught up here at nightfall trying to go downhill in the rain, if you know what I mean."

Matt looked up at Dave. He was probably the most experienced here, having been a ranger far longer than Matt had been. "Think we could make it down in one piece?"

Dave scratched at the five o'clock shadow on his chin. "I wouldn't advise going back down towards the city, but if you have the gas, and don't mind going the long way, you'd probably have better luck that way. Road's aren't as steep and there are less drop offs."

Matt nodded. "True. And it'll actually bring us closer to our apartment than if we went back down the way we came up." He turned back to his group. "Let's put it to a vote. I'm more than willing to drive since I know this mountain better than anyone if that's what we decide."

"I'm all for going somewhere where we can all dry off," Mimiko said, thinking of Jiro. She wondered if he really was okay. Karri, Sarah and Lucienne nodded in agreement.

Damian nodded. "That's four, and I make five."

Kotaro turned away from the window. "I want to see brother," he announced.

Zelman smirked. "I believe that makes six. As for myself, frankly, I don't care either way."

Matt scratched at his cheek. "Looks like we have our answer. Question is should we head now or wait in the hopes there's at least a slight let up."

"I'll drive," Scott volunteered. "I think it might be best if we head out now." He glanced over at Mimiko who was practically chewing on her fingernails. "I'm the best driver for this kind of weather and I know the road."

Matt nodded. Even though he'd been a ranger, it was true that Scott knew the other route home best. He'd used it many times in the past. "Fine by me. Ladies?"

Sarah shrugged. Lucienne and Karri nodded. "Yeah." They both exchanged glances with each other though, thinking about Zelman's words. What had he called Jiro? Kin Killer? That sounded ominous.

* * *

><p>Jiro's head went up as he heard the sound of a door opening. He looked towards the direction of the cabin, where light was now coming from the open doorway, the silhouette of several people in the line of light. He ground his teeth as his head went back down. He could not let them see him in this state, not the other Red Bloods. Mimiko had already seen him this way before, but there was no way he could let the others see him this way.<p>

He was so distracted by this, and thoughts on controlling his increasing desire and need for blood, that he didn't notice the footsteps coming towards the van, only one set.

Mimiko opened the van door. She had to stifle the urge to take a quick step back, water running down her face with the heavy rain. "Jiro?" Her question came out almost as a half fearful quaver. She recoiled slightly as she saw the muscles in his face exposed, then her professional side kicked in. "We need to get you covered."

She entered the van and closed the door to keep out the sheeting rain, and then leaned over the back seat, searching for one of the blankets she remembered being stowed there. "Just bear with it for a bit longer," she said with a slightly trembling voice. As soon as I have you situated, we plan on leaving, heading down the other side of the mountain.

Jiro put one gloved hand out and grabbed her arm. "Mimiko."

She smiled to hide the emotional pain she felt for his physical pain. "It's okay. Once we got off the mountain, we can go back to the apartment and you can dry out without any worry. Or, we can find a place where no one will see you. Then, after that, if you need it, I can," she hesitated for a moment, "give you some blood. But only if you need it." Her cheeks flamed.

Jiro gently touched her face, holding back as much of his pain as possible. "Mimiko, I'll be fine." He winced slightly, even more tightly reigning in his suffering so that he would not make her suffer. He clearly saw the pain in her eyes at seeing him like this. There was no way he could ask her for blood, not when she was still only so recently recovered from her own injuries.

Mimiko bunched up the blanket she'd found in her hands, a little surprised at his gesture, not sure if she should buy his assurances or not. It was hard to look at his skinless face. She thrust the blanket at him. "Here. You might want to make sure your face is shrouded. The others will be coming out soon and I don't think you, or I, want to explain why you suddenly don't have any skin and are almost, really, a skeleton under your clothes."

Jiro sighed as he took the blanket, fumbling with weak limbs to pull it around his shoulders. She had to help him wrap it around him, pulling it up and over his head.

At that moment, Zelman came striding over from the ranger's cabin, leading the others. He seemed unconcerned by the water sluicing off of him as the others ran towards the vehicle and shelter.

Kotaro tried to shake off as much water as he could as Matt opened the side door and shoved in a bunch of plastic bags for them to sit on in an attempt to try and keep as much water off the seats as possible.

Mimiko settled herself next to Jiro, securing his seatbelt, even if he probably wouldn't need it. In his weakened state, she wasn't willing to take any chances. Kotaro slid in next to her on the back seat.

"Hey, Mr. Vampire, you okay back there," Damian called from the middle seat, looking back at the shrouded figure.

Zelman grinned as he took his seat, the others climbing in around him, Scott taking the driver's seat, with Karri taking shotgun. "How much fun this will be," he jibbed, noting that there was still steam coming from under the bundle of blankets that was Jiro's hunched form.

Mimiko rolled her eyes as Scott put the van into gear. The tires crunched over the gravel as they backed up, then turned around to find the road. The windshield wipers were going like mad, making a steady metronome beat as the college student concentrated on getting back to the main road.

"This is going to be rough," he announced as he clicked on the turn signal, waiting for a pair of headlights to move out of the way so he could turn. "Hopefully there won't be too many idiots on the road, what with the rain and everything. We should be lucky."

The van turned onto the main road, heading slightly uphill to reach the crest of the mountain road before heading back down. At twenty miles an hour, their progress was slow, the rain pouring over the van so that the view out the windows was warped.

Mimiko kept glancing anxiously at Jiro's hunched shoulders. He head was hidden in the blankets, but his back was bent so that the top was closer to the seat in front of him, possibly in an attempt to hide his disfigured appearance as much as possible. It reminded her of that morning, almost a year ago now, when she'd first met him on the beach.

He'd been nothing but a skeleton at that point, regenerating right in front of her eyes after having survived a bout in the ocean thanks to circumstances beyond his control. Their relationship had changed greatly since then, especially since he'd saved her from Kanaye.

She tried to remember the last time he'd had blood but couldn't think of any beyond when he'd bitten her that one night she'd been stuck in nightmares from the past. Unless he'd been using blood packs, which she doubted, he hadn't had any since then. Nor had he brought up the subject at all. If he had indeed not had any blood since then, he must be starving for the nourishment it brought him.

"Jiro?" She tapped him lightly on what she hoped was his shoulder.

Kotaro leaned far forward, peering up under the blanket over his brother. "I think he's asleep," he half whispered. The sight of a skinless, only half muscled skeleton did not faze him in the slightest. He knew what the water did to his brother.

Mimiko sighed, then looked out the window at the slowly passing dark masses that she assumed were trees. Everyone was pretty quiet as Scott concentrated on the curves of the road, taking them back down to the valleys, and, hopefully, away from the rain.

* * *

><p>Almost an hour later, Scott pulled up in a small town that was, thankfully, not under a deluge of rain. Only a light drizzle filled the air, though it didn't look like it would last long. The clouds were breaking up, heading more north, back towards the mountains.<p>

The college student released his grip on the wheel, knuckles a bit light, the car engine now off as they sat in a parking lot. "Whew!" He wiped figuratively at his brow. "That was fun, but let's not do that again."

Zelman smiled in mild amusement, resisting the urge to chuckle. Red Bloods still managed to amuse him, even after so many years. Perhaps that was why he liked living in the Special Zone. He glanced back at Jiro and Mimiko. "He still out?"

Mimiko leaned forward to check on her companion, moving the blanket aside to look. She was glad to find that his skin had regenerated, at least on his face. She wasn't sure about the other parts of him. His clothes were still damp. "It looks like it," she replied.

The red haired vampire let out a smirk, shaking his head. "Children."

Lucienne turned back as well, glancing at both vampires, then looking pointedly at Mimiko. "That guy said something odd back up on the mountain," she said, pointing at the Crimson Eyed Butcher. "He called Jiro the Kin Killer."

Mimiko sighed, knowing what would come next. "Yes," she said before her friend could actually ask. "That's one of the names he goes by back in Japan."

Zelman chuckled. "Yes, the Kin Killer," he interrupted Mimiko before she could continue. "It's just as the name says. He killed his own kind."

One of the seat belts slid back into its unused position with a loud zip as Damian turned to stare at the Black Blood. "What? You're saying that guy there killed vampires? So, what exactly is he, a vampire hunting vampire or something?" Thoughts of Van Hellsing entered his head at the idea, a Van Hellsing with fangs.

Mimiko let out a mild huff of impatience. "Not exactly. You see, about ten or fifteen years ago, a strand of Black Blood was created that is more like the vampires you see in movies, who just have to bite someone to turn them into a vampire like themselves. To the other Black Bloods, they were considered a scourge and a threat to their existence because they could turn anyone, be they vampire or human, into what they were, a parasite living off of humanity.

"If these vampires, these Kowloon Children as they were called, were allowed to exist, they would overrun the world, exposing the vampires to the rest of humanity, which was something they definitely didn't want. Another major problem with this new bloodline was that they not only turned others to their bloodline, but, more often than not, they killed the people they turned."

Sarah shuddered as the story unfolded. She didn't particularly care for ghost stories, especially not true ones. And she was the least comfortable with the idea of being in the presence of a vampire, but Jiro had been so gentlemanly that she couldn't find much room for protest.

"Jiro," Mimiko continued, "sided with the Company and helped to eradicate a good majority of that bloodline, an effort that was known as the Hong Kong Crusade. Then, just this last year, a few survivors of the Kowloon bloodline were able to infiltrate our home and tried to revive their founder, who Jiro had killed all those years ago. The losses were devastating, but, with the help of everyone, we were able to drive them off and cut them back down. The unfortunate thing is that some of them still survived and will probably, eventually, try again."

James blinked, putting an arm around Sarah's shoulders. "Wow. I had no idea he was that kind of person. I mean, sure the idea of him being a vampire's pretty cool, but hearing there are actually vampires out there actually like the ones in the movies…. That can turn you into mindless zombies… ugh."

Zelman's lips frowned slightly. "That's exactly what they do," he agreed, "turn their victims into mindless zombies that they can control, then easily throw away. I may not agree with some of the things you Red Bloods do, but I definitely don't agree with their way of living. Like the compromiser said, they are a parasite that don't deserve to exist."

Kotaro, who had been sitting quietly, listening to their talk, suddenly popped up from his seat. "Say, can we find some food? I'm getting kinda hungry." His stomach rumbled, emphasizing his point.

Karri looked at her watch. "Huh, kid's got a point. It's been a while since we last ate anything. What do you think? Wait the extra hour until we get back home or stop by a drive-thru and get something?"

"Drive-thru," Damian, Lucienne, Matt, and Scott said almost in unison. Mimiko and Kotaro just blinked.

"Drive-thru it is," Scott said and turned the engine back on, put the car in gear, and pulled back into traffic, heading for his favorite fast food place, thankful that the small town had one. "Any preferences?"

Everyone shook their head, just glad to be back in the valley, out of the majority of the rain, and having any kind of food. Kotaro's stomach growled again.

"Okay then, the usual it is." Scott drove up to the window and ordered everyone two hamburgers apiece, along with fries and something he called "fry sauce". Mimiko wasn't sure what this sauce was, but it sounded interesting.

It didn't take long for their food to be paid for and delivered, filling the van with the smell of hamburgers and golden fries made from a yellow potato, instead of the usual white that Mimiko associated with fast food places.

Scott then drove them to a place that looked like it was right out of a movie, a bit out of the way, which was fine by Mimiko. She was still worried about Jiro. Fake facades faced an open square right out of an old American movie she'd once seen on a random station years before.

"Welcome to Little Hollywood," Scott said as he parked the car and turned off the engine. "I used to play around here when I was a kid. They also used to actually film movies here back in the day. I don't think they've used it in a while though. Thought it would be best, especially if our friend over there," and he indicated Jiro, "is still steaming or something. Don't need to answer any more awkward questions than are necessary, right?"

Mimiko nodded silent agreement, glad that everyone was still being fairly normal after having learned a bit more about Jiro's past. How would they react if they found out that Kotaro was actually the reincarnated head of his bloodline, and that he was once a girl? That was definitely something she was sure neither she nor he would care to explain.

Damian opened the door, letting in warmer air and sunlight, the clouds breaking up above them as the upper winds blew them away. "All out!" He climbed down and stretched like he'd been stuck in the same seat for over eight hours. "Man! What a ride!" He fist bumped Scott as he walked around from the front. "Nice driving."

The others began leaving the van, carrying the bags of food with them. Mimiko nudged Jiro with an elbow and got a grunt for her efforts. "Jiro," she called, "time to wake up."

Kotaro blinked. "Brother sleeps like the dead. Maybe we should just leave him here."

Mimiko was tempted to roll her eyes, remembering that first night in her apartment with the Mochizuki brothers, and how she'd had to douse the sleeping vampire with water to get him up. She had no buckets, and pouring more water on him would only add insult to energy. There was another way to wake him up, if one of the guys would lend her a knife, since shaking him wasn't having much effect. But she knew he was still alive because she could faintly feel his breath on her skin, and Kotaro didn't seem to be overly worried. That was always a good sign.

She pushed past Kotaro as the youth exited the vehicle and went over to the impromptu picnic the others had set up. "Anyone have a knife I can borrow?" She didn't want to really think about what she was contemplating, but it was the only other way she knew to wake him without hurting him more. She could, of course, just let him sleep, but she was sure that it was better to eat the burgers now and not wait until later. Besides, there was always the chance that there wouldn't be any left, the way she'd seen those guys eat. She could also ask Zelman for help, but there was no way she was going to do that.

Matt glanced up from his burger, wondering why she suddenly needed a knife. The others also glanced up momentarily. Zelman gave her a wry glance, almost as if he could read what she intended to do. A smile perked at the corners of his lips. Would she actually do it, he wondered.

Matt finally pulled out his own pocketknife and reached across the food to hand it to her. "Here. You can borrow mine."

Mimiko took the knife with an almost sense of relief. "Thanks. I'll only need it for a minute." She turned and headed back to the van very purposely, the folded knife held tightly in one hand.

"What does she need a knife for," Karri asked, breaking the silence around the picnic.

Zelman started laughing. "You might want to make sure you have a band aide handy," he advised.

Lucienne blinked at him. "Why?"

* * *

><p>Mimiko decided against closing the door once she'd returned to the vehicle. The back seat was far enough back that she hoped nothing scandalous would be seen, and far enough away that hopefully any noises she might make would be less than audible. It also allowed for a potentially fast get away if things didn't go quite as she planned.<p>

She slid into the back seat where Jiro was still sleep, hunched over with the blanket still covering most of him. She tugged at the blanket, making it come off his head where settle down closer to his torso. She opened her hand and dropped the knife by accident, her heart pounding. It landed on the seat between them.

Mimiko quickly picked it back up and flicked it open, thankful that it wasn't one of those that required some locking mechanism to release the blade. She closed her eyes, steeling herself to just go ahead and do what she had decided on, took in a deep breath, then opened her eyes and moved her right index finger towards the blade.

"Ouch!" She hadn't been paying as much attention to where the blade was as she should have and had managed to gouge her finger on the tip, the blade going about a quarter of a centimeter into the flesh. Blood welled up as she quickly pulled her finger away, resisting the urge to suck on it. This was what she'd been trying for, more or less, after all, even if it was a bit more extravagant than she'd planned.

Jiro's rhythmic breathing changed slightly as the scent of blood filled his senses, like a shark that had lazily been sleeping in a deep pool tasting the barest hint of blood in the water. He sniffed at the air, saliva filling his mouth as his mind started to resurface from the dark void of sleep.

Instinct told him to grab hold of the creature bleeding, grab hold and feed. But the logical side of him held back such actions. He was not an animal, nor would he allow himself to act like one. Despite that resolve, his hand unconsciously sought out the bleeding flesh and grabbed hold of Mimiko's wrist, bringing it closer to his mouth, where his fangs had extended from his jaw, anticipating blood.

Mimiko flinched ever so slightly when he'd grabbed her. She hadn't exactly expected that reaction, though she also wasn't sure what kind of reaction she'd expected. With Jiro, it was hard to tell. Her pulse accelerated as her hand was drawn closer to the fanged mouth, her blood almost singing in her ears, whether in protest or expectation, she wasn't really sure.

Jiro stopped moving, her hand inches from his face as he opened his eyes. The scent was overwhelming in front of him, but it was Mimiko's scent, and he had promised himself that he would not ask for her blood, or even take it if offered, for at least another month, just to be sure she was fully recovered. He would not risk her health for his own needs.

Mimiko wasn't sure why he'd stopped moving her hand. She looked at him questioningly as he stared at the blood oozing from the cut on her finger. "It's all right," she said gently, trying to encourage him, pressing her hand a fraction of an inch closer to his mouth before he gently, but firmly kept her from moving it any closer.

"Mimiko." He held out his other hand for the knife, which she dropped into his gloved palm without thinking. He thought he recognized the blade as one that Matt had used earlier that day while on the trail. He would have to be sure to return it to him. He slipped it into his pants pocket with only a little difficulty. His clothing was still damp and he was still sitting.

He reached towards his other pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, which he then gently wrapped around her wounded finger, ignoring her protests. He would not drink so much as one drop of her blood until he was sure she was completely recovered. "You should probably have someone look at that once we get back into town," he commented. "It might require stitches."

Mimiko slowly pulled back her bandaged hand and looked at it with some small confusion. "Jiro," she started to protest but he put a finger to her lips.

With a smile, he unbuckled his seatbelt and slid to face her more fully. "It's all right. I'm fine. You don't need to worry. It was only a bit of rain and my clothes are already mostly dry again."

She bit her lip but didn't argue. He had ways of persuading her if he so chose to use them so she let it drop. Instead, she let out a sigh. "They bought hamburgers and fries. They also got something called "fry sauce" which I'm not really sure what is, but if you want to give it a try, we should probably go over and join everyone before they eat it all."


	9. Chapter 9: Stupid Vampires!

**Chapter Nine: Stupid Vampires!  
><strong>

Everyone had agreed that it was probably a good idea to relax for a while, especially after such a rending experience only a matter of hours ago. So, Scott had taken the interested parties for a bit of a tour of the somewhat abandoned movie site. And since Kotaro wanted to go and Mimiko didn't, Jiro went with him, partly to prove that he was more than fine. Mimiko kept giving him meaningful glances that he chose to ignore.

The compromiser found a convenient perch and settled down on it with a sigh. She was started to by Zelman coming up behind her and gently saying," boo." She blinked rapidly, one hand to her heart as she turned to scowl at him.

Zelman chuckled at her expression, enjoying every moment of it.

"Don't do that!" Mimiko admonished him sharply. "I've had enough drama for one day, what with the rain and everything else."

Zelman found an opposite perch to hers, only a few feet away, and sat down, more than amused. "Is that so." He glanced at her bandaged finger, then reached over to pick up the hand it was attached to, idly sliding velvet soft fingers across the makeshift bandage. "You know, if you really wanted to have your blood sucked that badly, you could have always asked me. I'd be more than willing to indulge you." His eyes crinkled with mirth, the corners of his lips turned up in a slightly unpleasant way that made her unsure of whether or not he was teasing her or not.

She snatched her hand back and held it with the uninjured one, her cheeks flaming. "It's nothing like that! You know I was only showing my concern for him! It's not like I… wanted…."

He raised his brows at her. "Oh really. Are you absolutely certain about that? After all, there are many vampires who wouldn't give you the chance to protest if you'd offered to one. It's as good as offering to another, after all. And I thought most humans enjoyed the experience."

Mimiko's cheeks flamed even more. "That's…! That's not the point! I was only trying to be nice to him! I didn't want him to be suffering needlessly!"

Zelman rolled his eyes. "Suffer needlessly? Perhaps. But you already know how stubborn that one can be. Once he sets his mind on something, there's little you or anyone else can do to change it." He smiled again. "For an Old Blood he is still so very young."

Mimiko wasn't sure how to respond to that, still trying to make her pounding heart come back under control. She glanced around to see where the others were but couldn't see them. They were likely behind one of the large set pieces left standing from an old western town setup, too far away to come quickly, though probably not too far that Jiro wouldn't hear her if she called out. But did she want to call out? She was torn. Zelman wasn't doing anything to her, well, minus a bit of potential harassment. It wasn't like he was forcing her to do something against her will. And she was an adult and should be able to handle whatever situation came up. She was a compromiser, after all.

"What an interesting expression you have on your face," Zelman commented conversationally. "I believe it to say something along the lines of, 'should I scream for my hero or leave off because he might not have enough strength to come save me if the evil vampire decides to do something to me,' or something along those lines. Am I right?"

She glanced quickly his way, shock showing on her face despite her trying very hard to control her emotions. It wasn't entirely correct, but close enough to cause her some alarm.

"Don't act so surprised," he laughed. "You're so transparent when it comes to the Silver Blade. You'd do anything for him, wouldn't you." He looked her straight in the eye, locking gazes with her.

Her voice only shook slightly as she tried to answer. "Almost anything." She quickly looked away. "Besides, you saw that he refused so your point is moot."

He chuckled again. "Is it, Compromiser? Of course, I have to applaud him for refusing. It takes a very strong vampire to resist that kind of temptation, especially after what he'd just been through. I personally don't know how he does it. But, of course, decorum dictates that he refuse, if only for the sake of his circumstances. We are not alone, after all. And he was raised to be a gentleman." He snorted slightly in amusement to his words.

Mimiko stood, hands on her hips. "And what's wrong with being a gentleman? I personally find it refreshing when compared to the less civilized company I sometimes find myself in!" With that remark, she stormed off in the direction she'd last seen the rest of the group.

Zelman shook his head in amusement, chuckling lightly as he watched her rapid progress away from him. So easy to tease. So easy to rattle when he chose. It made life all that much more enjoyable. Not that he'd intended to actually suck her blood, but he had wondered what she'd do if he'd brought it up, especially under such a scenario. He'd had no desire to resist the temptation when it had risen and had purposely stayed back just so he could bow to it.

* * *

><p>Jiro caught sight of Mimiko stomping towards them from the corner of his eye. He paused, letting the group move on without him, waiting for her to catch up with him. Her expression was a mass of indignation, frustration, and, he thought, possibly some embarrassment, and wondered just what had happened to cause such a mix of emotion in her.<p>

Mimiko trudged rapidly towards the red-coated man a dozen or so feet in front of her, hands balled into fists. "Stupid vampire! Like I'd stoop that low! I'd kick him if I thought it would do anything!"

Jiro blinked in surprise as he caught snatches of what she was murmuring to herself. Why on earth did she want to kick a vampire, he wondered. He schooled his expression to somewhat blank surprised inquiry as she stomped up to him. "Everything all right?"

Mimiko scowled fiercely and cast a somewhat angry glance back towards the van. Zelman had disappeared from sight; however, since she'd started out that way and she had no idea where he was. Instead, she turned back to Jiro and let out a bit of a growl. "Stupid vampire."

Jiro's eyes widened in surprise. "Stupid vampire? Mimiko. Did something happen?"

She glared up at him. "It's none of your business," she snapped. "But if you'd stop being so stubborn I wouldn't be so upset." She stomped off to join the rest of the group, leaving Jiro blinking in increased surprise and confusion behind her.

"What did I do?"

* * *

><p>Mimiko avoided both older vampires for the rest of the afternoon, even though Zelman mysteriously rejoined the group once they'd finished their tour of the area, and Kotaro had insisted on playing cowboys and Indians for a while. The locals were more than willing to play along, though Mimi had opted to just sit back and watch, arms folded and glared if either Zelman or Jiro came too close to her.<p>

"What on earth have you done to make our compromiser so irritable," Zelman asked in a tone heavy with irony. "Could it be that you spurned her advances earlier? Really now, Silver Blade. I do believe you've hurt her feelings."

Jiro gave a low growl as he watched with folded arms. "Better her feelings than something else," he returned with irritation. Inside, he wondered if that was why she was really upset. Despite having lived with her for so long, he still found he couldn't quite figure her out. Was it because she was a woman as well as human? Or was it just because she was that kind of woman? The kind that you couldn't figure out?

The red head rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me you thought you were doing a kindness by refusing her. Why, Silver Blade, I never imagined you were that naive."

Jiro felt for a blade that was not at his side, gloved hands clenching. "That's enough, Zelman."

Zelman put his hands up in a shrug. "I was only trying to help."

Jiro's reply was cut off as Kotaro ran over, laughing. "Guess what! Guess what! Lucienne says we're going to have Mexican food tonight! Just like in some of those old shows I like to watch! I'm so excited!" He twirled around in delight.

"Time to pack up," Matt called to the group as they started to head back to the van. "Mexican food is waiting!"

Mimiko claimed the front seat this time around, leaving the others to choose seats in the back as Matt took the driver's seat and pulled out of the parking lot, heading south once more, back to their dorms and the potential of food.

* * *

><p>Jiro watched Mimiko closely for the rest of the night. She still refused to sit next to him, or Zelman, he noted. But she was more than willing to play around with Kotaro. The one time he'd tried to figure out what was wrong, she practically bit his head off and told him to mind his own business, something that had made Zelman laugh, despite her giving him a glare as well.<p>

He sighed as he settled onto his borrowed bet, Kotaro already asleep in the one next to him. Was she really that nettled over his refusing to drink her blood? Or was it something else? Or, perhaps, it was just that time of the month, though he was fairly sure he'd know if that were the case, so maybe precursor to it.

Whatever the reason, he had to find a way to make their last day of vacation memorable, and in a good way. He'd discovered that his initial plans had somehow fallen through, and he was now at a loss as to what to do instead of them. He was fairly certain, as well, that all of the guys in their party knew that his plans hadn't worked out, and could only hope that they didn't try to come up with something to make up for it.

His bones creaked slightly as he rolled to one side to look out the open slit in the window covering. He would have to be more careful in the future, to not let himself get caught in any situation where he would be in danger of causing her more worry. If he did, he was fairly certain she'd find a way to force-feed him her blood. She was definitely that stubborn, but he would not allow that. And he would not ask anyone else to give him any, even if it was from a blood pack. At least, definitely not until they were back in the Special Zone. After that, he'd have to wait and see what happened. He'd gone longer without before.

* * *

><p>Mimiko stared up at the ceiling of her room. Being mad at the both of them was probably not worth the effort anymore. They were both just showing their colors and she had to accept that. Jiro was, to the core, a gentleman. And Zelman, well, he was something else entirely. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to know exactly what he was, other than a complete sociopath, but for all of that, he was still at least sort of nice to her, probably because of her mom, but still.<p>

She rolled over to her stomach and rested her head in her hands. "Why are boys, vampire and human, so stupid," she asked the air, then rolled back to her side. "I give up." She closed her eyes and went to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10: Afraid of Heights?

**Chapter Ten: Afraid of Heights?  
><strong>

Zelman smiled to himself as he stared up at the night sky. Thanks to some quick thinking, and a bit of string pulling, he had managed to ruin Jiro's plans for Mimiko's last day. In their stead, he had a lot of other things already bought and paid for. He just hoped that the other Black Blood wouldn't throw a fit when he found out just want he had in mind.

Of course, he wasn't going to tell them what was going on until it was too late to change anything. He'd already talked to the guys in the group, and they'd all agreed, pretty much, to the change in plans. At the very least, they were game, especially since Zelman had put in that everything was already paid for and they didn't have to spend a dime. The hardest part would be to trick Jiro and Mimiko. But that could wait until the morning. He grinned up at the waning moon. This would be fun.

xxXxXxX

"Rise and shine!" Matt pounded on the girls' apartment door at six in the morning, waking the entire place up. "Day light's wasting!"

Lucienne groaned and put a pillow over her head. "Day light hasn't even come up yet," she mumbled, but the pounding on the door continued.

"You have ten minutes to get ready before we leave you here!" With that, the pounding stopped.

"I think he means it," Kari said as she rolled out of bed, encouraging Lucienne to do the same. "Let's go see what they want. I'll go make sure Mimiko's awake."

Lucienne yawned as she got up and headed to the closet. What on earth had those boys planned for them today? She just hoped it wasn't anything too crazy.

Kari went to Mimiko's room and knocked. "You awake?"

Mimiko groaned. "How could I sleep with that racket?" She opened the door, dressed but with hair that obviously had not been brushed down yet. "Ugh. What's with waking up at the crack of dawn? I thought Jiro had something planned."

Kari shrugged. "Who knows? But we'd probably better go and see what they've got going on or be left behind. I have a feeling they're planning on dragging everyone they can with them, including your vampire friends."

Mimiko rolled her eyes. This was all crazy. She still didn't feel like she'd had enough sleep. They'd gotten to bed late, after all. Well, maybe not the others, but she had. Stupid vampires. Why did they have to be so difficult? She'd only wanted to give Jiro a little blood, and then with Zelman interjecting his usual annoying self into the situation… Ugh! She practically yanked the brush through her hair as she looked for her shoes.

xxXxXxX

Kotaro had to refrain from giggling when he'd been told what was going on by the Red Blood boys. He'd been sworn to secrecy, though, and couldn't tell Jiro or Mimiko what they were going to do, but he was excited. He couldn't wait for them to reach their destination and do what Zelman had decided they should do. He didn't care that the original plans had changed. Zelman's seemed much more awesome, after all.

His face was lit up with pent up energy and excitement as he waited for the girls to come out of their apartment, Jiro leaning tiredly against the wall, hat pulled low over his eyes. "This is going to be so much fun! I can't wait to see what all will happen!"

"Did we really have to get up this early," Jiro wondered, feeling more than half dead, his shoulders slumped, his umbrella held in one hand like a cane.

Zelman grinned as he walked over and thumped him on a shoulder. "Come now, you'll enjoy it! I promise!"

Jiro rolled his eyes as the door opposite them opened and the girls came out, Lucienne, Karri, Sarah, and Mimiko. He took a moment to glance critically at the compromiser, who was yawning hugely. She looked like she hadn't slept nearly long enough. He knew the feeling.

"All right!" James clapped his hands together, "It's time to head down to the van and make it down before we miss our time slot!" He pulled out the van keys and handed them to Matt, who would be driving this time around. "We'll get breakfast once we get there, so those of you who want to catnap on the way down are more than welcome to do so."

Mimiko stifled another yawn. "And where, exactly, are we going?"

Scott smiled. "We're not saying. It's a," he put his finger to his lip, "secret. You'll just have to wait and see."

Zelman chuckled at the expressions on his associates' faces. He carried a bag in one hand, though what was inside was anyone's guess. "This should be amusing," he commented. "Shall we be off then?"

At the vampire's suggestion, they all headed down to the van, eight Red Bloods and two vampires.

xxXxXxX

They drove south, and a bit West, which was probably a good thing, considering the sun was beginning to rise by the time they'd made it to what the locals called The Gorge, a massive area of mountains that had been split by the road, revealing intricate canyons and rivers. It also decreased their travel speed due to the windiness of the road.

Jiro had pulled his hat down over his face; his arms folded, and was snoozing in the back seat, Mimiko leaning against his side, also asleep. The boys exchanged smiles at this. The vampire continued to nap, even though his younger brother was bouncing up and down in anticipation in the seat in front of them.

Zelman made no comments about the arrangement, but seemed more than amused by it, the grin on his face revealing a hint of his fangs. How amusing would this be, having a bit of fun at the younger Black Blood's expense? He really wondered what the younger vampire would do, especially when he realized there was nothing he could do about it.

Another hour passed before the bright billboards and casinos began to come into sight. But before they actually reached Las Vegas, Matt turned off and headed towards a small airport, following some directions on a piece of paper. He pulled up next to a large hanger. "We're here! Should we wake those two?" He indicated the sleeping compromiser and vampire.

Zelman grinned. "No. Let's let them sleep a bit longer, shall we? Make the surprise more exciting."

Karri opened the van door and stepped out. "But aren't they required to attend the before class?"

The red-eyed vampire laughed. "Don't worry. I've already arranged everything. It shouldn't be a problem. Let them sleep. Maybe the Silver Blade will be less cranky, eh?" He winked.

Lucienne followed Karri out. "Let him have his fun," she advised. "I know Mimiko will have fun. She told me, once, that she wouldn't mind doing something like this just once."

Matt turned around in his seat. "Well, everyone out. Just call me when you're ready for them to go inside. I'm going to catch a few Z's myself."

Sarah glanced at Matt. "You're not coming?"

"Nope," Matt said from behind closed lids. "I'm just the driver for this round."

Zelman glanced at his phone for the time. "We should get inside. The class will start soon. I want to be sure the proper pairings occur."

With a bit of jostling, which, thankfully didn't wake the sleeping pair in the back seat, everyone but Matt exited the vehicle and headed towards the waiting hanger.

xxXxXxX

Mimiko woke groggily to the hum of machinery. She almost gasped as she realized she was no longer in the van, but strapped in on a metal bench in a cylinder shaped something with something lumpy strapped to her back. "Wha…? Where am I?"

Zelman's grinning face peered at her from the left. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," he greeted. "It's about time you woke up. I'd hold tight though, if I were you. We're just about to take off."

Mimiko's eyes went wide in panic. "What?" She looked out the only window across from her, past Scott's grinning face, as the landscape went whooshing by them. She averted her eyes to quickly glance around the interior.

Jiro was leaning against the plane's wall, on the other side of her, Kotaro sitting between them. He wasn't wearing the same clothing. Somehow, despite his still being asleep, he'd changed into completely black clothing, and had a ski mask over his head. If it weren't for the usual goggles, and the fact that she didn't know anyone quite so tall or lanky, she could have easily mistaken him for someone else.

Kotaro was hunched up in excitement, his face practically glowing with anticipation. "Can I wake him now? Can I! Can I?" He was practically bouncing in his seat.

Zelman's eyes sparkled in amusement as the plane left the ground, quickly picking up speed and greater altitude. "Sure. Why not?"

"Yay!" Kotaro turned in his seat and shook his companion. "Brother! Brother! Wake up! We're in a plane!"

Jiro almost jumped up, except he was strapped in. He immediately felt his head, then looked around. He noticed everyone sitting, staring at him. "Would someone please tell me just what is going on and why I'm wearing completely different clothing?" His tone was more than a little irritated.

Zelman unbuckled his safety belt and walked over, leaning towards the wall a bit as the plane banked. "Well, well. You finally woke up! And just in time! We're on our way up for an appointment with fate."

Behind his goggle's, Jiro's eyes went wide. "What did you say?"

Kotaro couldn't contain his excitement any longer. "We're going to jump out of a plane!"

"What?" Jiro almost broke his harness. "Zelman, you had better explain what exactly is going on, and you'd better explain now."

The other vampire shrugged. "This is my contribution to our little vacation. Sky jumping. We'll be going down in pairs." He paused a moment, almost thoughtfully. "By the way, according to the luck of the draw, you and Kotaro are partners, and I'll be teaming up with Mimiko." He grinned hugely as he inserted himself between Kotaro and the compromiser.

"What?" Jiro and Mimiko spoke in unison as they looked at him incredulously.

"That's the luck of the draw," Zelman grinned.

At that moment, a man came from the front of the plane. "Hey everyone! We've just about reached our altitude so I'm going to go over a few last minute items. Please make sure your chute buckles are secure." He tugged on his to show them how to check. "Take the carabineer attached to your pack and hook it onto this bar." He took his own and attached it to the bar that hung above everyone's head on the right side of the plane, where the window was.

"When you jump, this will pull at a cord on your pack," he continued, "which will break away once you are clear of the plane, deploying your chute. If this does not deploy your chute, pull on these cords here." He tugged gently on two cords along the straps of his pack. "This will release your chute, but don't pull them unless your chute doesn't release once you're clear of the plane."

Mimiko blinked rapidly. "Wait, you mean we're actually going to jump?"

The instructor nodded. "That's what everyone here has signed up for," he confirmed.

"But I didn't!"

Her words were silenced by Zelman's finger on her lip. "Trust me," he whispered in her ear, causing Jiro to scowl behind his ski mask. "This will be like nothing else you've experienced."

The instructor continued on as if he hadn't been interrupted. "Make sure you jump at the same time as your partner. Remember," he began to shout as he slid the large door open, the noise of the propellers filling the cabin, "you can direct your chute by pulling on the cords. When you are going in to land, keep your knees bent to lesson the jolt on impact with the ground, and run with the momentum. The chute should provide some braking power behind you."

Mimiko gulped. Did Zelman really expect her to do this? She quickly looked over at Jiro, whose expression she could not read. But she could feel the anger rolling off of him.

"I've been instructed to give you a nudge out the door if you hesitate," their instructor continued. "The only person who should remain in the plane is the pilot, who will take the plane home. As long as you follow our lead pair down, you shouldn't have any problem landing in the right zone for pick up. Beware cross winds and updrafts! We ready?"

Everyone unbuckled their belts and moved towards their designated partner, all but Mimiko, Kotaro, and Jiro. They clipped their carabineer to the rod, waiting.

Zelman offered Mimiko a hand. "We're the lead pair," he grinned. "Shall we?"

Her eyes went wide. "What?"

Before she could protest further, he had guided her to the front of the line and clipped her to the rod, ignoring Jiro's protests, knowing he wouldn't try anything, partly because he was too weak, and partly because he didn't want to risk pushing her out of the plane.

"We've reached altitude." The announcement came over a speaker from the pilot.

"Coming, Jiro?" Zelman offered a salute before grabbing Mimiko's hand and pulling her backward so that they essentially just fell out of the plane.

Jiro reached out a hand but it was too late. He stared in horror as the two were visible for a split second, then gone from view, their lead breaking. "Come on, Kotaro," he said with determination and controlled anger as he clipped his and his brother's lines, ready to follow the others and hoping he could keep up with the older Black Blood and the compromiser, just in case something went wrong.

xxXxXxX

Mimiko felt a rush of air around her body. It was so loud, but her heart pounded even more loudly. She was too surprised to scream out. The plane seemed to zoom away from them as they free fell, then, suddenly, her chute opened. It was like a giant hand had jerked her backwards.

Zelman was suddenly by her, grinning. "Thrilling! Isn't it?" He yelled at her as he pulled on his guide ropes to keep from crashing into her. He glanced behind them a bit to see Jiro and Kotaro jumping from the plane, their chutes opening less than a minute later. Other chutes opened up behind them as the others also jumped, clearing the plane and its propellers.

xxXxXxX

Matt watched the sky through a pair of binoculars, along with a second team of sky diving experts, waiting for the group to land. Matt suddenly jumped up and down in excitement. "I see them! I see them!" He pointed towards the sky at several small pin-sized dots of color that were rapidly heading their direction, growing larger as they came.

Above them, Mimiko was trying desperately to follow Zelman's shouted instructions, pulling on her guide lines to safely reach the large space that looked like a meadow with piled hay in it. "Whoah! I can't do this!"

Several yards from her, far enough away that his chute wouldn't tangle with hers, Zelman grinned like a maniac. "You're doing just fine! Pull both cords at the same time! If you feel like you can't reach that area the people below are lining, aim for the hay!"

"What?" But she didn't have time to retort as the ground came up even more quickly than she'd ever thought possible. "AH!" The next thing she knew, she was surrounded with dried hay up past the top of her head. It tickled her nose and stuck at the back of her throat as she thrashed around, trying to get out. Thankfully, she'd closed her eyes before impact.

Matt saw the compromiser plow into one of the piles of hay. He started running towards it, though it was going to take a while since it was a good hundred or more yards away from the nearest landing crew member. Zelman had landed a good halfway down their "landing strip" without so much as a hitch.

Not too far behind, wincing a bit from the intensity of the sun despite his skin being completely covered, Jiro saw what had happened. He twisted in his pack, pulling down hard on the guide ropes so that he could undo the straps. He fell a dozen or so feet from the sky, landing with a jolt, but quickly got up and was running towards the stack where Mimiko had landed. "Mimiko!"

Inside the haystack, Mimiko was trying to push her way out, without much success. She had to stop her activities to try and stifle a sneeze caused by the dust from the hay. The straws stuck into her clothing like dull needles, pricking her all over, but she had to admit that the experience of parachuting was indeed very exhilarating, even though it had been one of the most downright scary things she'd ever been forced into doing.

Jiro had reached the haystack by this point, a good half minute before anyone else, Kotaro coming down several dozen yards past it, with a much more gentle landing. The Black Blood began to almost frantically pull at the hay, making the straws shower down over him. He was panting heavily by the time he'd found one of her ankles and gave it a gentle tug.

Mimiko felt something grab her leg and almost went into panic mode. But then she felt herself being pulled backwards by that appendage and decided the best thing she could do was keep her eyes and mouth shut or risk getting more hay down her throat and straw dust in her eyes.

By the time Jiro had halfway extracted the compromiser from the stack of dried grasses, Zelman had landed and has run over to help out. "Let me give you a hand," he said, and grabbed her other ankle before Jiro could protest. He let out a mighty heave, which brought Mimiko completely free from the hay. She was in Jiro's arms before she could so much as fall to the ground from the semi-violent jerk.

Jiro brushed straw from her hair, caressing her face. "Mimiko, are you all right?" He noticed several small scratches from the sharp plant, wishing he dared remove the ridiculous ski mask from his face, but the sun was too bright to allow it.

The compromiser opened her eyes, blinking in surprise, and spat out hay. "Ugh. Whoever said haystacks make a nice landing place lied. I feel like I've been pricked all over."

Zelman chuckled behind them. "Only you would manage to land in one, Compromiser. But it's nice to see you didn't suffer any real damage from it."

Mimiko stood a bit shakily, more from the rush of adrenaline that was slowly fading, and from her fright, than from any injury. "Whoah!"

Jiro put out a steadying hand. "Careful."

Before anything else could be said or done, the others finally converged on them, chutes already removed and left behind.

Scott, James, and Damien were practically glowing with the rush they'd felt from the experience. The girls were also thrilled by the experience, but were definitely more worried about their friend's abrupt landing.

Mimiko finally pushed Jiro's helping hand away. "I'm okay, guys," she reassured. She took one wobbly step forward but managed to stay upright. "Just a little shaky from the landing," she amended.

Kotaro jumped up and down, realizing that rushing towards her in a bear hug was probably not the best idea. "Wasn't that just so awesome? I want to do it again! Brother, can we do it again?" He looked hopefully at Jiro.

Jiro let out his breath. "How about we don't," he replied. "I don't think Mimiko could handle another round." He wasn't sure if he could either. He would have to pay Zelman back for this rather… unsettling surprise.

Zelman checked the time on his phone. "Oops. Looks like it's time to go. If we don't hurry, we'll be late." He bowed to their jumping crew. "Thanks for the experience but we have to run. I hope the amount I left is sufficient to cover everything?"

The man nodded. They'd arranged previously for the company to also take care of the cleanup of the parachutes.

"Let's go," Zelman said, heading towards the van.

Seeing that their friend really was okay, the others followed after the older vampire. Jiro, however, stood his ground. "Zelman."

The crimson-eyed vampire turned slightly, pausing. "Silver Blade. Really, if we don't hurry, the rest of everything will be ruined, and I don't think Mimiko will appreciate it if it is. Trust me on this one, you will both enjoy it. Either that, or you can just stay here and miss your flight tomorrow because you're being stubborn. Your choice."

Jiro decided to follow, escorting Mimiko. Now was not the time to let the Crimson-Eyed Butcher feel his wrath.


	11. Chapter 11: All Dressed Up And

**Chapter Eleven: All Dressed Up And...  
><strong>

Mimiko settled down into the most divine substance she'd ever felt on her skin, mud. The person who had said that mud was good for nothing but to stay outdoors on the ground, or to make things dirty, obviously didn't know what they were missing out on. The smell wasn't the most pleasant in the world, but it felt oh so good on her skin. She was almost more than willing to forgive Zelman for his trick earlier. Almost.

Three sets of contented sighs followed her as her American friends sank into their mud baths. "This is what I was really looking forward to," Lucienne commented as a spa attendant placed cucumber slices over her eyes. "It's not every day someone offers to pay for a complete spa package. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that Zelman guy has a thing for you."

Mimiko's cheeks flamed under her facial mask. "What? No! That's not possible. I mean, come on, guys! You can't be serious!"

Karri glanced over at the crimson girl, lifting one of her cucumbers to peek. "It's not impossible, you know. And there are some definite indicators that say he might."

The compromiser squirmed in her mud. "No. I mean, come on! He and my mother were friends. He couldn't possibly, even remotely have those kinds of feelings towards me!"

The two girls exchanged glances with each other while Sara ignored them all. "We'll see," they said almost in unison.

* * *

><p>Zelman smirked as he watched the roulette wheel spin round and round, the small ball inside bouncing across the numbers as fate tried to decide which one it would finally land on. Roulette, one of the most up in the air ways to gamble. There was no way to tell exactly where the little marble would land, at least not if you were a Red Blood. As a Black Blood, however, especially one endowed with such things as Hide Hand, it was a much different matter. The dealers cheated, after all. Why couldn't he?<p>

He snuck a furtive glance over at Jiro and the other boys who were not really participating. Kotaro was too young, and the American boys didn't seem to be interested in playing any games of chance. Instead, they walked around and watched, or, in Kotaro's case, stood at the edge of the casino because he wasn't old enough to actually enter. But Jiro stood not too far away so that was fine with the casino employees. After all, children should not be left unattended.

The ball came to a sudden halt, landing on a black thirteen space, just like he'd planned on happening. The stacks of chips on the corresponding square raised a brow from the dealer, but he shrugged and slid over the right number of chips for the win, more than tripling the ones already there. Some people just got lucky, then cocky, and then they lost it all. That was how it worked.

Zelman could tell what the dealer was thinking without having to Eye Raid him or anything. Red Bloods were sometimes so transparent it wasn't even funny. The corners of his lips went up a fraction of a centimeter more as he thought about Mimiko's reaction after having touched down from her little "jump". He was sure she, and possibly Jiro, had been about ready to pummel him. If it hadn't been for the help of those American boys, he might have been in need of some blood, but since they'd managed to call the enraged vampire down, that had not been necessary. Zelman had promised not to suck from any of the locals, after all.

The vampire pulled his winnings towards him. The chips amounted well into the high digits. They would more than pay for whatever he wanted. He could set them all up in the hotel for their last night if he'd wanted, in the executive suite, but that was probably not the best idea as the Company trio's plane left early in the morning and they'd have to drive back to the college to get their things, a couple hour drive, then to the airport there. Of course, he could go there, get their stuff, come back, and change their tickets to leave from the airport in town, but he figured he didn't need them to be any more mad at him than they were. Jiro was frowning at him in disapproval.

He smirked towards the other Black Blood and bet half of his winnings on number seven. The dealer spun the wheel.

* * *

><p>This was definitely the life, Mimiko decided. She could get used to this. The mud bath had been amazing, and now she was getting the full manicure and pedicure treatment. Her feet had been buffed, the calluses removed by expert hands. Her cuticles had been treated and her skin was as soft as the day she'd been born. All she needed now was for all the little knots in her back to vanish and she'd feel like a completely different person.<p>

The others were enjoying their own sessions on either side of her, hair wrapped in white towels, fluffy robes over their bodies, cucumbers still over their eyes. They were either silently enjoying this experience or had fallen asleep. They were no longer teasing her about Zelman.

Thinking about him, she couldn't help but give a little scrunch of her shoulders. Did he really like her that way? He was paying for the works for all of them. Of course he had money to burn, but still. Was there something up his sleeve? Zelman didn't do things just because he was being nice. There was usually an ulterior motive at play. Was he trying to apologize for giving her the scare of her life, or was he secretly trying to woo her.

The idea made her feel very uncomfortable. Sure she liked him, but only a very little. Her heart belonged to Jiro. And she did owe him a debt of gratitude for helping save her life all those months ago. So what was he doing? Was he trying to show up Jiro? Was he trying show her what he could give her if she chose him instead? She shook her head, trying not to dislodge the towel wrapped loosely around her head. Impossible! Right?

* * *

><p>Kotaro grinned like a kid on crack. Now this was more like it! "Bang! Bang!" He fired the virtual gun at the video game's screen as his virtual persona fought through a combat scenario. Jiro probably would not approve of his choice of games, but everyone else had persuaded him to give a few games a try himself, and they were currently racing him in one of those multi-racer games. He didn't need to know.<p>

"Bang! Bang!" He hit a few more targets before another character got his. He put the gun down and retrieved his playing card, heading over to see how his brother was doing.

Jiro was not one for modern gadgets, but after having had a brief explanation by Scott, he wasn't doing too bad, at least as far as steering his virtual car went. He still didn't know how to work the pedals and so was laps behind the others. But that was all right. He could sense that Kotaro was having fun so that made his frustration a bit more bearable. He just wished he knew how Mimiko was doing.

She'd been upset about the whole being pushed out of a plane incident. Who could blame her? Jiro wasn't too happy about it either. But he couldn't cause an international incident without causing a lot more trouble than was worth the effort. Besides, these Americans didn't really seem to know much about actual vampires and they didn't need to find out.

His thoughts kept going to Mimiko, wondering how she was doing, what she was doing. Only half off his attention was on the game. He was surprised to find it suddenly over, his car coming into last place. He blinked in surprised. "Ah, it would seem that I lost this time around."

Scott chortled slightly while the others rolled their eyes.

"You need to use the pedals," James offered helpfully.

Jiro glanced down at the pedals as he exited the playing area. "Ah, yes. I will have to try that next time." He saw Kotaro standing a few feet away, watching. "And what games have you been playing?" He smiled affectionately.

Kotaro jumped up. "I played this really awesome game called Dance Dance Revolution! It was so fun, brother! You try to do all these moves following the arrows as they scroll up the screen!"

Jiro blinked. The game sounded far too complicated to him. "I'm sure it's very fun," he said absently. He glanced at a clock on the wall. They'd been at this, either in the game room or watching Zelman rack up more chips, for almost three hours now. Surely the girls would be done by now.

Kotaro noted his distracted glance. "You're thinking about Mimi, aren't you? But it's okay! Zelman said he paid for the whole works for everyone and that it'd take several hours. I know she's enjoying herself!"

Jiro gave him a wry look. "Oh?"

The boy nodded firmly. "With how stressed she's been at work and everything, having a chance to play in the mud and everything's got to be relaxing, right? I mean, I always liked playing in the mud."

Jiro smiled in confusion. He wasn't sure what his brother was talking about, exactly, but he was sure there was some kind of miscommunication somewhere. He decided it was best to just go along with him. "In that case, you're probably right."

Damien came over. "They're all probably getting a makeover right now." He saw the confused look on his Japanese friend's face. "You know. Putting on makeup and getting their hair done? That kind of thing."

The vampire nodded in sudden understanding. "Ah. Yes, that might not be a bad idea for her. She doesn't often dress up. Perhaps it is not a bad idea at all."

* * *

><p>Mimiko looked into the mirror. She almost didn't recognize herself. She had designer makeup on her face and her hair had been done up in a series of soft curls that had been pinned up around her face, giving her an almost diva look.<p>

She twirled in front of the mirror slowly. She wasn't used to wearing high heels. Her midnight blue dress swirled gracefully around her in a very form-flattering manner. She looked like a movie star or a billionaire's daughter, or wife. Thinking the word wife, she colored behind the makeup. Zelman had paid for the dress too.

A knock sounded at the door. "Mimiko, can we come in?" The door opened and Kari's head poked inside, hair done up in a sleek manner. She paused in the open doorway and stared. "Wow."

Behind her, Lucienne and Sarah also stared, their own evening style dresses shimmering softly in the light, hair down up, makeup making their faces practically glow like they were some kind of angels. "Wow is right. You look like a million dollars! Zelman must really think highly of you!"

That comment earned her a nudge in the back from one of her friends.

Mimiko blushed even more. "Stop it! There's just no way!" She looked down at the carpet and the black shoes she was wearing, designer brand with a lot of straps. They gave her an additional four inches to her height.

"If I didn't now any better," Sarah spoke up, "it would seem that he intends to take us either to some kind of club or formal event."

Mimiko gulped. "I was afraid of that." She turned back to the mirror, her nude painted nails reflecting the light from the lights over the mirror. "I just hope dancing isn't on the menu."

Lucienne glanced up at that comment. "Can't you dance?"

Mimiko turned in a bit of hurry and had to put out a steadying hand on the counter top. "Not in these shoes! They're death traps! I can't believe I'm wearing them!"

"But they look good on you," Kari spoke up. "Walking in heels isn't easy. There's a sort of trick to it. It's mostly balance though."

The compromiser groaned. "Great. Then I'll be falling left and right in these things!"

"I doubt either Jiro or Zelman will let you," Kari replied. "It's obvious they both like you."

Mimiko bit her lip. "Please stop with that, okay? I'm nervous enough wearing this thing." She indicated the dress with its sheer outer layer, the silk under layer falling like a cascade down her skin. It was a modest dress, longer in length, with little capped sleeves, but the neckline was lower than she was used to wearing, even if it didn't show off anything it shouldn't.

Lucienne agreed. "Okay. But we should hurry. Scott just called to say they were waiting for us down in the lobby."

A little thrill ran down Mimiko's back, whether of fear or anticipated, she couldn't tell. The masseuse had done a wonderful job getting all the knots out, and with everything else, it was almost hard to feel stressed, though anxious wasn't quite the same thing. "Let's go. I just want to get this over with." She pulled on her elbow length gloves, wondering how Jiro was going to be dressed.


	12. Chapter 12: Back We Go

**Chapter Twelve: Back We Go  
><strong>

It had taken some convincing, but Jiro had finally agreed to lay aside his usual attire for this last evening of their vacation. Instead, he wore a rented tuxedo of jet black. His usual gloves had been replaced with gentleman's gloves of white. Beside him, Kotaro wore similar attire, only much smaller.

Zelman grinned. Everyone was wearing a jet black suit with various accents. The main difference was that his was the only one without full length tails. Everything was going according to plan. He was very glad he'd found out what Jiro had had in mind and had decided to hijack this last day. After all, the Old Blood's plans had been boring and plain. This was showing them just what life was really about.

All eyes turned to the elevator as it chimed its arrival. The doors slid open and Jiro's mouth almost dropped open as the four ladies left its confines, all dressed in very fine evening wear. Damien, James, and Scott's mouths did drop open. Matt was too busy on his phone to notice.

Kotaro's eyes shown with amazement. "Wow. Mimi, you look like a movie star!"

The girl blushed furiously, head bowed so that she was looking at the floor, hands clasped in front of her. But even though she wasn't looking up, she could feel about three pairs of eyes on her.

Jiro found himself almost unconsciously walking to her side and taking her hand, then kissing it gently. "Mimiko, you look amazing," he finally managed to say.

Zelman smirked in a self-satisfied way as everyone paired up. There was no mistake who stood out the most out of the girls though. It was just as he'd planned. He checked his watch. "Well, it looks like it's time. Everyone ready?"

The girls nodded, not sure what the plan was, but they had a good guess. Their partners also nodded, smiling like they were entranced by their partners and didn't care where they went so long as they went together.

Zelman led them out of the hotel where a white stretch limo was waiting for them. A valet held the door for them as they all swept into the posh confines of leather upholstered seats and silk decor. The vampire tapped on the window that separated them from the driver. When the window was halfway down, he gave their destination, then leaned back against his seat, totally relaxed.

Mimiko smoothed her gown with one gloved hand, stealing glances at Jiro in his black tux. She tried not to blush any more, but seeing him so attired made her stomach do funny flips inside and she couldn't help herself so she tried to distract herself. "Do you know where we're going?" she whispered into his ear, more embarrassed when she noticed that the other couples seemed to be snuggling.

"I have no idea," Jiro replied softly. "But I'm sure that we will not be jumping out of another plane," he tried to joke.

While they had been talking softly, their driver had moved out onto the Vegas Strip and was driving surely towards their destination. A few turns later brought them to a more modern looking building with large glass windows in front. A name was scrawled across the top of the building in fancy script, lit with low intensity lights. Whatever the name was, it wasn't in English or Japanese.

Lucienne and Karri's eyes went up in surprise when they saw the name. "Amazing," they seemed to breath at the same time.

The limo pulled to a stop and another valet opened the door for them, holding it as they all disembarked from inside, the girls standing a bit self-consciously as they waited for Zelman, who was the last to leave the limo's confines.

A doorman in a tailored uniform held the door to the fancy restaurant open for them, his hat tipped as they brushed by in silk and satin. Just past the front, a matre de waited for them, seemed to be expecting them. He didn't even ask for their party's name but had them led to two tables near the dance floor.

Zelman settled into his seat, uniformed men helping the ladies into their chairs. "Order whatever you like," he said in a carefree tone.

Almost everyone's mouths dropped open at that offer. A few of the boys started to protest but he waved them aside. "Consider this an apology for earlier," he suggested, as if treating the girls to the spa, and sending the boys off to play hadn't been compensation enough. His winnings had been large, after all.

Kotaro's eyes sparkled as he looked at the menu a waiter placed in front of him. "Wow! They have so many different choices!"

Music began to play from a live band on a stage at the back of the dance floor. Various couples were converging to dance to the slightly upbeat tune. Chandeliers sparkled, shedding rainbow colored light across the dancers and diners alike.

Mimiko wasn't sure what she ordered from the menu, but it sounded good. Her mind was in a whirl at the finery around her and she didn't realize, until she was already on the dance floor, that someone had asked her to dance.

"I hope you're enjoying yourself," Zelman said in her ear as they performed an almost flawless waltz. Mimiko's feet were not quite up to the dancing, especially not in the shoes she was wearing, but the red-head was a very skillful dancer. The girl nodded mutely. "And, are you willing to forgive me of my little pranks?"

The compromiser wasn't sure how to answer that. She gulped slightly, trying to compose herself. "You did pull a few nasty tricks," she finally said, remembering the terror of free-fall when he'd thrown them out of the airplane earlier that day. "The girls think you're trying to woo me."

Zelman laughed lightly. "Woo you," he said in amusement. "That's such an old-fashioned term. But," he paused thoughtfully, "I suppose there is some truth to that." He grinned suddenly. "Someone had to give that stick in the mud a push."

Mimiko stopped abruptly, eyes filled with surprise. "What?" The other dancers swirled around them, their own elegant eveningwear shimmering in the half-light.

Zelman lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it, making a show of it. "For a beautiful women, who wouldn't want to move heaven and earth?"

She shifted uncomfortably in place, not sure what she should do. Her high heels would not make running easy at all. She was more likely to fall and twist an ankle. The weird thing was that part of her was enjoying every minute of the attention he was showing her, while another part was clamoring for her to make a hasty retreat to the safe confines of Jiro's arms. It was very confusing.

Zelman glanced over at Jiro as he held his lips to Mimiko's hand, his eyes twinkling in an almost challenge that made the other Black Blood clench a fist under the table. He smirked as he lowered the girl's hand and began to dance again. "The Silver Blade doesn't like my attention being so focused on you," he commented with idle amusement. "I wonder if he'll try something."

Mimiko tried to look at Jiro with every turn they made; almost wild-eyed in her anxiety that Zelman's words might prove true that the Old Blood would try something. They did not need to be kicked out because of a disagreement between two vampires over one human woman.

The Crimson-Eyed Butcher paused in his dancing. "I believe our food is ready," he announced and took her hand to lead her back to their table.

Jiro glanced at Mimiko, almost as if he were asking if she were okay. Her expression was one of shock. He knew exactly what the other vampire had said to her though, having heard it all, despite the music.

Mimiko mentally shook herself and looked at the plate of pasta a server had placed in front of her. To try and avoid, or at least delay, any further comments about the situation, she picked up a fork and began eating, signaling the others that they should do the same. She tried to ignore Zelman's smirks from across the table.

* * *

><p>The evening continued on and dessert was brought out between more dancing. Jiro had not been allowed to dance with Mimiko, through some design agreed upon by the other men in the party, but she had no lack of partners, from their tables and from others.<p>

Her head felt like and airy, like she was floating through the evening without touching ground. It came as almost a jolt when she realized that her current partner was Jiro. She was so surprised that she, once again, stopped dancing in the middle of the floor.

Jiro lifted a brow. "Is my dancing that bad? I know I haven't had nearly as much practice as others in this room." His tone held a hint of bitterness in it as he looked away from her lovely face.

Mimiko blinked rapidly and touched his cheek. "No. I was just surprised. It felt like they were purposely keeping us apart," she admitted. "I was just startled."

He gave a slight scowl. He'd come to the same conclusion, and wondered what kind of game Zelman was playing. He would not let it ruin her last evening though. He would not. "I hope you've enjoyed yourself despite that."

She smiled at him, and then quickly looked down in embarrassment. "Yes." She didn't dare say more as they were swept back up into the dancing. She tried to hide her blushing by not looking at him, heart pounding. Finally, she couldn't take it any longer and looked up. "Jiro…"

The Silver Blade wasn't sure what she was going to say as they were suddenly signaled that it was time to leave. He glanced over at an ornate clock that indicated it was well past midnight. They still had to go back to that hotel and change out of their borrowed clothes, then travel back to their hosts' apartment to gather their things. Their plane would be leaving in less than eight hours. It was with great reluctance that he announced what she already knew. "We should go."

Weariness stole over her as he led her back across the dance floor to the rest of their party. She only half acknowledged everyone else as they talked about how wonderful the evening had been as they re-entered the limo.

In a haze, she found herself changing back into her own clothes, taking down the elaborate hairdo, washing makeup off her face, and returning the silly stiletto heels. Her mind refused to tell her what she was going to ask Jiro before they'd been interrupted on the dance floor.

Were they back at the apartment? Were Karri and Lucienne helping her to repack her things? Was she trying to catch a last minute hour of sleep? What time was it anyway?

* * *

><p>Jiro stared absently at the suitcase he shared with Kotaro. What had Mimiko been about to say back in Vegas? He had a feeling he knew, but didn't want to admit it. He was tired. Kotaro had fallen asleep on the way back, and so had Mimiko. He didn't think she was really awake when they'd arrived back at the apartment. Would she even remember to tell him later?<p>

Scott poked his head into his shared room. "Hey, we're ready to leave whenever you are. Matt's got the van downstairs at the front door."

With a sigh, Jiro picked up the suitcase and followed him out the door, Kotaro stumbling behind him.

* * *

><p>Karri yawned as she greeting Mimiko and helped her put her bags inside the vehicle. She was sure her Japanese friend wasn't really awake, but that didn't matter too much as everyone else piled into the van, those who had been able to climb out of bed to join them, that was.<p>

Matt put the car in gear and drove them back to the airport. They all paraded inside, half supporting each other to the terminal building.

Mimiko tried to not yawn as she swayed where she stood, plane tickets in hand in front of the security checkpoint. She absently hugged everyone, including Kotaro and Jiro. Zelman had disappeared sometime between getting back from Vegas and everyone packing.

"Come back sometime," Lucienne requested. "Any time you need another vacation. Can't promise it will be as eventful as this one was, but we can always try."

Mimiko hugged her again. "I'll try."

Jiro discreetly indicated that it was time to leave. Another round of hugs ensued before she finally made it through the security gate and to their terminal, half dragging her suitcase behind her.

After another period of waiting, where Mimiko dozed in one of the many chairs in the lounge, they boarded their plane.

Jiro smiled almost wistfully as he tucked a small blanket over the compromiser's lap. It would be a long flight back to Japan, plenty of time to contemplate just what Zelman had been up to, and what Mimiko had tried to say on the dance floor.

...

(I hope you enjoyed reading this story. I had fun writing it, but it is time to move onto the next one. Now back to my cross over!)


End file.
